American West

Examples of plains indians tribes are the

Sioux, Cheyenne and Blackfoot

Most people in a band were

related to each other

Bands were led by

chiefs and councils of advisers

Council Members

agreed everything the band did

The survival and protection of the band was

more important than the individuals in it

Chiefs were chosen for their

wisdom and skill as warriors/hunters

Chiefs rarely

held the position for life

Chiefs and councils decided

where the bands would go and what should happen if someone broke customs and traditions

The chiefs did not have

to be obeyed

Bands in the same tribe

supported each other in times of crises

Some tribes like the sioux were

part of a larger group called a nation

No decision could be made by a tribe until

everyone in the council had agreed to it

When a decision was made in a tribe,

the rest of the tribe or band did not have to obey the decision

Chiefs and elders were often guided by

the spirit world through visions

The US Government thought that if a chief signed a treaty

all his tribe would obey it

Men in a band

hunted and fought enemies

women in a band

made clothing, fed the family and looked after the tipi

Children in a band

were communally looked after, and were taught the skills of their parents

elders in a band

were respected for wisdom but would be left behind if weakness threatened survival of the band

The great plains were very

dry, hot in summer and cold in winter

Catching Buffalo on horses was

quicker and easier

Every part of the buffalo

was used for food, clothing and equipment (except the heart which was buried to give the herd new life)

Women and children cut up the buffalo meat which was eaten

cook, raw or dried for winter (jerky)

Indians couldn't live on the plains without

horses

wealth and status of a tribe was determined by

how many horses an indian or tribe had

Horses helped with the Indians nomadic way of life by

carrying them and their belongings to find the buffalo

Tipis made of wood and buffalo hide were ideal for the plains because

their coned shape protected against strong winds, flaps provided ventilation and they could be taken down in minutes

Band were adapted to survival on the plains by

changing size depending of food available

Plains Indians constantly raided other tribes for

food, horses and people

The Nomadic tribes found living on reservations difficult because

they were used to travelling and hunting freely

Indians believed that everything in nature

had a spirit that could help or harm humans

Indians believed that humans were

A part of nature and should work with the spirits rather than trying to tame and control them

Indians believed that humans could contact the spirit world through

visions and special ritual dances

For plains indians, land

could and should not be owned

Indians found ways to avoid killing because

young men were relied upon for survival

The highest respect and prestige was given to warriors for

counting coup

counting coup was

landing a blow on an enemy (often with a stick) and getting away uninjured

If the fight turned against the indians

they would run away

The pull factors for moving west were

freedom, Independence, land, space, the trail and gold

The push factors for moving west were the

collapse of wheat prices, overpopulation, persecution and unemployment

the first migrants to travel the Oregon trail by wagon reach their destination in

1836

A financial crisis causes an economic depression in

1837

The 1837 economic depression causes

people to lose savings, wage cuts, unemployment, wheat price collapse and farmers in ruin

A government funded expedition maps the Oregon trail and publishes it to migrants in

1841

The governor of Illinois tells the mormons to leave the state in

1846

Gold is discovered in California in

1848

Gold is discovered in the rocky mountains in

1858/59

Gold is discovered in the black hills in

1874

A financial crisis and a collapse in cotton prices occurred in

1837

In 1837, unemployment in some areas was

25%

The US government needed manifest destiny to

defend itself from foreign powers

manifest destiny was

Gods will that Americans should settle across all of America

White americans at the time though that manifest destiny was

right and natural

from 1849, the number of people using the trail was

tens of thousands

the California gold rush attracted 20 000

Chinese people coming from famine

most migrants who travelled to California to find gold

did not find any

The gold rush was taken over in the 1850s by

professional miners with the equipment and expertise to mine underground

the California gold rush caused problems of

lawlessness, racial tension, tension with the Indians due to increased migration, genocide of Californian Indians

The Californian gold rush helped by

boosting the economy, increasing farming, making California a state and helping to achieve manifest destiny

Migrants on the Oregon trail had to complete the journey before winter came

or else they risk getting stuck in the mountains

Crossing the great plains was dangerous due to

sandstorms, quicksand, heat, storms, disease, buffalo, hostile Indians and a lack of supplies

Migrants began the trail in

April

Migrants had to take enough food

for the entire journey

Early migrants used

explorers or Indians as guides

Later migrants used

pamphlets or books as guides

Each trail west crossed two mountain ranges

the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada

The mountain ranges the trails crossed were

very steep, with little to hunt, and the weather was usually bad.

Wagons were hauled across the mountain ranges on the trail by

chains or ropes and pulleys

The Donner part was led by

Jacob and George Donner

The Donner party left Missouri for California in

May 1846

The Donner party was made up of

60 wagons and 300 people

What made the Donner party different was that

it had more women, children and elderly members

At fort Bridger, the Donner party

split, with a smaller group of about 80 people taking a 'shortcut'

The Small party of the Donner party

lost 300 cattle, 4 wagons, and they arrived late in the Sierra Nevada which meant they got trapped by heavy snow

To survive, the Donner party

ate their dead

After taking 32 days to reach Johnsons ranch, the Donner party was rescued in

January 1847

The Mormons were persecuted because of their

success, their 'blasphemy' , their desire to free slaves and befriend Indians, polygamy and the Danties (their police force)

Joseph Smith

founded the church of the latter day saints - the Mormons

Joseph Smith was murdered in Illinois in

1844

Who was the new leader of the Mormons?

Brigham Young

What was the Taipang Rebellion?

A revolt in China that was led by a peasant army looking for equal wealth distribution. T

What was the credit ticket system?

Chinese companies paid for passage from port of Hong Kong

Where was gold first discovered in California?

Sutter's Mill