Westward Expansion

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Dime Novels

Dime Novels were paperback books that told tales of adventure, hardship, and daring rescues. They exaggerated stories and spun them into thrilling tales. They created the “larger than life” image of the west.

Exodusters

Exodusters are African Americans who migrated west (towards the central plains) hoping to escape the racism and discrimination. They left the south after reconstruction failed to end racial issues.

Homestead Act of 1862 and requirements to acquire land

The Homestead Act of 1862 offered plots of land (about 160 acres) as long as they lived and cultivated the land for 5 years. It encouraged westward expansion. To acquire land, you had to be a US citizen and be at least 21 years old.

Transcontinental Railroad and its benefits

The Transcontinental Railroad carried goods, supplies, citizens, and migrants) to the west

Explain the Vaquero influence on American Cowboys

American Cowboys took on the techniques and traditions of Mexican Vaqueros (roping livestock, horsemanship, and cattle management). They adapted their tools and garments after the Vaquero (chaps, spurs, and lariats).

Boomtown

A boomtown is a town that grows rapidly due to the sudden migration of people in an area. Denver became a boomtown after the California Gold Rush because gold and silver was found in Colorado. People moved there in hopes of finding these metals and becoming rich.

Who largely benefited from the mining rushes?

Merchants and suppliers to the miners became rich because they charged high prices for food, clothing, and equipment. Mining companies benefited and developed new techniques (using dynamite to dig channels).

Ogallala Aquifer

The Ogallala Aquifer includes water that has been slowly collecting in the space between the underground sand and gravel grains for the past 15,000 years. It was first used in 1911 for irrigated agriculture. The aquifer has been shrinking faster than it can refill.

Farmers Alliance

In the 1870s, farmers in Texas created the Farmers Alliance. Farmers struggled because of rising costs, farm equipment, and shipment charges which lead to debt. The Farmers Alliance formed cooperatives which produced large quantities of seed and equipment for cheaper prices (bulk-buying).

Colored Farmers Alliance

The Colored Farmers Alliance was formed because African American farmers were banned from joining any white farmers’ alliances. In 1891, they went on strike demanding for higher wages. The strike ended because of the killings of 15 strikers including the organizer Ben Patterson.

Define the Populist Party and explain its platform

In 1892, the Farmers Alliance formed the Populist Party. They supported the “free silver movement” which said that anyone who has silver can turn it in in exchange for US coins. This would increase the money supply and inflation. They wanted to increase inflation to lower their debts and raise the prices for their crops. They wanted the government to regulate the prices for storage and transportaion of their crops. They also wanted 8 hour work days.

Was the Populist Party a success or failure?

The Populist Party eventually dissolved after Populists favored the Democratic Party in the election of 1896 and many of them joined the Democratic Party. The Party did not win the presidential election. However, many of their ideas came into law, and they gave a voice to farmers. They highlighted the problems of debt and low crop prices.

Populism

Populism is the belief that ordinary people should control the government rather than elite politicians.

Why did the US Government attempt to wipe out the Bison/Buffalo population?

The US Government attempted to wipe out the Bison/Buffalo population to force the Native Americans to move to reservations. The Native Americans relied on these animals for food, clothing, and shelter, and by taking them away, they were forced to move.

Define “reservation”

Reservations were areas of land designated for a particular Native American tribe. They were mainly located on difficult and isolated lands, so survival was difficult.

Explain the Sand Creek Massacre

The peaceful camps of the Cheyenne, Lakota, and Arapaho were suddenly attacked by a volunteer US military. They killed 150 unarmed women, children, and older males. They attacked them because they needed land for white settlement. The tribes were forming peace agreements with the US Government. This was a tactic to remove Native Americans from the Great Plains.

Describe Chief Joseph

The US Government told the Nez Perce that they had to move to a smaller reservation. Chief Joseph did not like this and he decided to retreat. He fought U.S. troops while leading his band of about 700 Nez Perce in a retreat towards the Canadian border. He and his band were apprehended about 30 miles from the border when Chief Joseph surrendered. They were promised land in Idaho, but they really got land in Oklahoma. He was seen as a leader and fighter for the Nez Perce.

Geronimo

Geronimo was an Apache leader. He resisted to a forced relocation of his people. He lead his people on multiple escapes from reservations, so he and his people can return to their normal lifestyle. In 1886, Geronimo and 400 other Apaches were captured and exiled to Florida.

Explain the Dawes Act and the consequences of it for Native Americans

The Dawes Act divided reservations into land allotments or sections of 160 acres. This act attempted to assimilate Native Americans into the American society by promoting private property land ownership and farming. The Native Americans who received an allotment of land were forced to establish farms. If they did so, they would become US citizens. The law allowed the public to purchase any unused land. This act led to a huge loss in Native American land and the drastic impact on their communities and cultures.