Untitled Flashcards Set

The West

Symbolized opportunity, adventure, and expansion in the 19th-century U.S.

The Allure of Land

Land in the West offered economic independence and wealth to settlers.

The Homestead Act

Passed in 1862, it granted 160 acres of public land to settlers under certain conditions.

Independent Indians

Indigenous tribes in the West defended their lands and way of life against U.S. government encroachments.

The Dakota War (Sioux Uprising)

A violent conflict in 1862 caused by Dakota Sioux resistance against broken treaties and starvation.

The Sand Creek Massacre

A brutal attack in 1864 by U.S. soldiers on a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho village.

The Long Walk & The Treaty of Bosque Redondo

The forced relocation of the Navajo in 1864 to a desolate reservation.

Chief Joseph and the Nez Percé

Led a 1,400-mile retreat in 1877 to escape U.S. forces but ultimately surrendered.

Railroads in the West

Transformed the West by connecting it to eastern markets and facilitating settlement.

The Transcontinental Railroad

Completed in 1869, linked the east and west coasts, revolutionizing transportation.

The Rise of Chicago

Became a key transportation and industrial hub in the late 19th century.

The Cattle Drives

Cowboys herded cattle from Texas to railheads in Kansas for the booming beef industry.

The Dawes Act

The 1887 law aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands.

The Ghost Dance

A spiritual movement among Native Americans symbolizing hope for a return to traditional ways.

Wounded Knee

In 1890, U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Lakota, marking the end of large-scale Native resistance.

The West in Popular Culture

Romanticized as a land of rugged individualism and adventure.

Wild West Shows

Traveling performances that dramatized frontier life and showcased key figures.

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody

A showman who popularized the mythic West through his Wild West shows.

Annie Oakley

A skilled sharpshooter and a star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, symbolizing female empowerment.

The Frontier Thesis

Frederick Jackson Turner's argument that the frontier shaped American democracy and culture.