8th SS Westward Expansion

What was the primary requirement regarding residency and land use under the Homestead Act of 1862?

Grantees were required to reside on or cultivate the land continuously for five years.

How much public land was granted to individual claimants under the Homestead Act of 1862?

160 acres of land.

What proportion of homesteading families failed to maintain ownership of their land under the Homestead Act?

Approximately one-third of the 400,000 families failed.

What was the motto of the founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School?

“Kill the Indian, save the man.”

What tactic did late-19th-century government boarding schools use to enforce cultural assimilation on Native American children?

They forced children to cut their hair short, adopt English names, and refrain from speaking native languages or practicing tribal customs.

How is assimilation defined in the context of 19th-century U.S. Indian policy?

The process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society.

How significantly did the American buffalo population decline between 1800 and 1890?

The population plunged from approximately 60 million in 1800 to only 300 by 1890.

Why were buffalo essential to the traditional way of life for Plains Indians?

They provided virtually all basic survival needs, including hides for clothing and shelter, bones for tools, and dung for fuel.

What was General Philip Sheridan's view on the role of commercial buffalo hunters on the Great Plains?

He believed destroying the buffalo herds would do more to subjugate Native American tribes than thirty years of regular army operations.

What initial movement triggered conflict between settlers and Plains Indians around 1840?

Pioneers crossing the Great Plains on overland trails during early westward expansion.

What was the main purpose of the 1851 Horse Creek Treaty?

To establish peace and secure safe right-of-way for emigrants by assigning Plains tribes to defined territorial boundaries.

Why was the 1851 treaty council moved from Fort Laramie to Horse Creek?

Fort Laramie lacked sufficient forage for the thousands of horses brought by the assembled Native American tribes.

What event in 1858 disrupted the reservation land promised to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes?

The discovery of gold at Pikes Peak, which brought a flood of settlers onto tribal land.

What event marked the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre?

U.S. militia under Colonel Chivington attacked a peaceful Cheyenne village that had raised white and American flags, killing about 150 people.

What was the main policy goal of the Dawes Act of 1887?

To break up communal tribal lands into individual plots to force Native Americans into agrarian assimilation.

How much land was allotted to the head of each Native American family under the Dawes Act of 1887?

160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing land.

Under the Dawes Act, what condition was required for a Native American to receive U.S. citizenship?

Accepting individual land allotments and separating from the tribal structure.

How did reformer Alice Fletcher view the passage of the Dawes Act of 1887?

She praised it as the "Magna Carta of the Indians" that would free Native Americans from tribal hold.

Why did the agricultural goals of the Dawes Act largely fail among Native Americans?

Allotted lands were often unsuited for farming, and the tribes were culturally unaccustomed to standardized, individual farming.

Which major indigenous nations inhabited the Great Plains prior to post-Civil War American expansion?

The Sioux, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Arapaho, Osage, and Wichita nations.

What environmental conditions made the Great Plains initially unattractive for white settlement?

Harsh climate with extreme temperatures, low rainfall, frequent droughts, and tough sod with few trees.

Which four major factors accelerated white settlement of the Great Plains after 1862?

The Homestead Act, the Transcontinental Railroad, the migration of Exodusters, and the cattle ranching boom.

How did the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 help finance the construction of transcontinental rail lines?

The federal government granted large tracts of public land to railroad companies, which sold the land to private settlers.

How much time was required to travel across the country between San Francisco and New York after the Transcontinental Railroad opened?

Travel time was reduced to approximately one week.

What economic role did the Transcontinental Railroad serve for Western farmers?

It enabled them to ship agricultural products and goods to major urban markets in the East.

Who were the 'Exodusters' during the post-Civil War Western expansion?

African Americans who migrated from the South to establish homesteads on the Great Plains.

For what main purpose did non-indigenous hunters slaughter buffalo on the Great Plains?

For commercial hide sales in the East, food supply for railroad crews, and sport.

What long-standing federal policy, dating back to Andrew Jackson's presidency, was reflected in 19th-century Indian treaties?

Relocating Native populations whenever necessary to prevent conflict or accommodate white expansion.

How did railroad companies advertise the Great Plains to prospective Eastern settlers in the late 1800s?

They depicted the region as highly fertile, well-watered farmland available on easy credit terms.

What was the outcome of the federal policy of forced Native American assimilation through boarding schools and land allotment?

It eroded traditional tribal cultures and structures while largely failing to integrate Native Americans into mainstream American society.