U.S. Westward Expansion, Native American Policies, and Industrial Innovations

Dawes Act of 1887

Broke up Native American reservations by granting individual plots of land to Native American families; forced assimilation of Native Americans into American society; resulted in significant loss of Native land.

Sand Creek Massacre

U.S. Army attack on a Cheyenne village in Colorado in 1864, resulting in the death of around 150 Native Americans, mostly women and children.

Battle of Little Bighorn

Also known as Custer's Last Stand; in 1876, Sioux and Cheyenne forces led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated General George Custer's troops.

Wounded Knee Massacre

In 1890, U.S. soldiers killed more than 300 unarmed Sioux at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota; marked the end of the Indian Wars.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the expansion of the U.S. across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869, connected the eastern and western United States, facilitating trade, travel, and settlement; built largely by immigrant labor, including Chinese and Irish workers.

Homestead Act of 1862

Provided 160 acres of free land in the West to any U.S. citizen who was head of household and would cultivate the land for five years.

Discovery of Gold and Silver

Strikes such as the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the Comstock Lode in Nevada drew thousands westward, creating boomtowns and later ghost towns.

Push Factors Westward

Economic hardship, overcrowding, lack of farmland, and persecution pushed people to leave the East.

Pull Factors Westward

Opportunities for land ownership (Homestead Act), gold and silver discoveries, Manifest Destiny, and the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Cowboys

Workers who herded cattle on ranches and trails; many were African American, Mexican, and white.

Texas Longhorn

Cattle breed that was well-suited to the harsh conditions of the Great Plains; central to the cattle industry.

Barbed Wire

Invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874; ended the open range by allowing farmers and ranchers to fence in their land.

Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889

Opened former Indian Territory to settlement; 2 million acres of land claimed in a single day; led to nickname 'Sooner State.'

Yellowstone National Park

Established in 1872 as the first national park in the U.S. to protect natural resources and wildlife.

Dugouts and Soddies

Types of homes built by settlers on the Great Plains due to lack of wood; dugouts were carved into hillsides, soddies were made of sod.

Greenbacks

Paper currency issued during the Civil War that was not backed by gold or silver, leading to inflation.

Plains Indians

Native American tribes such as the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Comanche who lived on the Great Plains; culture centered around the buffalo and horse.

Reservation System

Policy that forced Native Americans onto designated areas of land managed by the federal government.

Assimilation

Policy aimed at integrating Native Americans into white American culture, including the establishment of Indian boarding schools.

Buffalo Soldiers

African American soldiers who served in the western frontier after the Civil War.

Gold Standard

Monetary system in which paper money is backed solely by gold; favored by bankers and business leaders.

Bimetallism

Monetary system that uses both gold and silver to back currency; supported by farmers to cause inflation and raise crop prices.

Populist Party

Political party formed in the 1890s to represent farmers and laborers; advocated for bimetallism, government regulation of railroads, and other reforms.

Pools

Agreements between companies to fix prices and divide markets; often used in the railroad industry.

Holding Companies

Corporations created to own stock in other companies to form monopolies.

Trusts

Combinations of companies formed by a legal agreement to reduce competition.

Corporations

Businesses owned by shareholders who invest in the company and have limited liability.

Lewis Howard Latimer

African American inventor who improved the light bulb filament and worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell.

Jan E. Matzeliger

Invention of the shoe lasting machine which increased shoe production.

Sarah E. Goode

First African American woman to receive a U.S. patent; invented a folding cabinet bed.

Granville T. Woods

African American inventor known as the "Black Edison"; developed the multiplex telegraph for trains.

Alexander Graham Bell

Invention of the telephone in 1876.

Thomas Edison

Invention of the phonograph, motion picture camera, and electric light bulb; held over 1,000 patents.

George Pullman

Invention of the sleeping car for trains; also known for creating the Pullman company town.

Elijah McCoy

Invention of the lubricating cup for steam engines; phrase "the real McCoy" derived from his work.

Garrett Morgan

Invention of the traffic signal and gas mask.

Madame C.J. Walker

First female self-made millionaire in the U.S.; made fortune in hair care products for African American women.

George Westinghouse

Invention of the railway air brake; promoted alternating current (AC) for electric power.

Social Darwinism

Social theory that applied Darwin's theory of natural selection to human society; used to justify economic inequality, racism, and imperialism.