Chapter 17 American Republic BJU 5th ed.

Great Plains

a vast, mostly flat region of grassland west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains; known for low rainfall, few trees, and its role in farming, ranching, and westward settlement during the 1800s.

Pikes Peak or Bust!

slogan used by gold seekers during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859; appeared on covered wagons and signs to show determination to reach the Rocky Mountain goldfields.

Comstock Lode

a rich deposit of silver ore discovered in 1859 in western Nevada; one of the largest silver strikes in American history and a major factor in the rapid growth of nearby mining towns.

Lode

a vein or deposit of valuable metal ore found within rock; often discovered through mining and extracted for commercial use.

Greenbacks

paper money issued by the United States government during the Civil War that was not backed by gold or silver; helped finance the war but caused inflation.

Battle of the Little Bighorn

an 1876 battle in the Montana Territory in which Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry were defeated by Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors; sometimes called “Custer’s Last Stand.”

open range

unfenced lands used to graze cattle or other livestock

Chisholm Trail

trail used by cowboys to reach Abilene, Kansas

Indian Territory

former name of Oklahoma

Goodnight-Loving Trail

route used by cowboys along the Pecos River to markets in Colorado; extended to Cheyenne, Wyoming

trail boss

cowboy in charge of the men, equipment, and animals on a cattle drive

Homestead Act

an 1862 law giving 160 acres of land to an individual who paid a $10 filing fee, lived on the land for five years, and made improvements to it

Sooners

Oklahoma settlers who illegally staked their claims ahead of time

sod houses

Western prairie houses made of strips of grass and soil cut from the hard ground used as staggered “bricks”

Grange

social and political organization for farmers, founded in 1867

barbed wire

practical fencing material for the Great Plains, which lacked wood or rocks; created with short, sharp spikes spaced along strands of wire

Wounded Knee massacre

tragic conclusion to the Indian Wars; 150 Native Americans were killed (including women and children) at South Dakota, plus the death of 25 soldiers

A Century of Dishonor

book published by Helen Hunt Jackson portraying the government’s ruthless and often deceitful dealings with Native Americans

Dawes Act

law passed in 1887 designed to help Native Americans be Americanized; it distributed land, resulted in weakened tribal unions

George Armstrong Custer

United States Army officer and cavalry commander during the American Indian Wars; best known for his role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), defeated by Sioux warriors led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

Lakota war leader who resisted U.S. expansion; instrumental in the defeat of Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn and later killed while in U.S. custody

Sitting Bull

Hunkpapa Lakota leader and holy man who united tribes in resistance against U.S. policies; associated with victory at the Battle of the Little (not actually in battle) Bighorn and later killed by Indian agency police

Chief Joseph

leader of the Nez Perce who resisted forced removal; led his people toward Canada in 1877 before surrendering

Geronimo

Chiricahua Apache leader who resisted Mexican and U.S. expansion; surrendered in 1886 and lived the rest of his life as a prisoner of war