Western Expansion & Plains Indian Wars Review

These flashcards cover key events, laws, individuals, and concepts from the lecture on Western expansion, mining booms, and the Plains Indian Wars (1850s–1890).

What event in December 1890 marked the end of the Indian Wars?

The massacre at Wounded Knee Creek, where the Seventh Cavalry killed about 300 mostly unarmed Sioux.

Who was killed during an attempted arrest in December 1890, heightening tensions that led to Wounded Knee?

Sitting Bull, leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux.

Which Sioux leader guided his people toward Wounded Knee after Sitting Bull’s death?

Chief Big Foot.

What 1864 attack resulted in the deaths of over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho, mostly women and children?

The Sand Creek Massacre led by Colonel John Chivington.

Which 1866 ambush by Crazy Horse killed more than 80 soldiers and was called the Battle of the Hundred Slain by Native Americans?

The Fetterman Massacre along the Bozeman Trail.

What treaty closed the Bozeman Trail and placed the Sioux on a reservation along the Missouri River?

The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Which Sioux leader famously refused to sign the Treaty of Fort Laramie?

Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotanka).

What 1876 battle resulted in Custer and his entire Seventh Cavalry being killed?

The Battle of Little Bighorn (Custer’s Last Stand).

Who had a vision of soldiers falling from their horses just before Little Bighorn?

Sitting Bull, during a Sun Dance ceremony.

Which law was intended to “Americanize” Native Americans by allotting land to individuals?

The Dawes Act of 1887.

How many acres were allotted to each Native American head of household under the Dawes Act?

160 acres (80 acres for each unmarried adult).

What movement promised that ritual dancing would restore Native lands and way of life?

The Ghost Dance movement.

Why did U.S. officials support the slaughter of buffalo on the plains?

To destroy the Plains Indians’ main source of food, shelter, and fuel, forcing them onto reservations.

Approximately how many buffalo remained on the plains by 1890?

Fewer than 1,000.

Which 1881 book exposed government broken promises toward Native Americans?

"A Century of Dishonor" by Helen Hunt Jackson.

What was the Comstock Lode?

An 1859 Nevada gold and silver strike that yielded about $400 million.

Which inexpensive mining method used pans and water to separate surface gold from gravel?

Placer mining (panning).

What mining technique used high-pressure water to wash away dirt and gravel?

Hydraulic mining.

What is hard-rock mining?

Mining that cuts deep tunnels in solid rock to extract ore.

Which 1858 discovery drew thousands of miners to Colorado?

Gold near Pikes Peak.

Name two western cities that began as mining camps on Native land.

Virginia City, Nevada, and Helena, Montana.

What U.S. Army commander ordered troops to destroy villages and ponies on the southern plains?

General Philip Sheridan.

Which colonel’s 1874 report of gold in the Black Hills triggered a rush onto Sioux land?

Colonel George A. Custer.

How did the federal government’s 1834 policy differ from its 1850s policy regarding the Great Plains?

1834: Entire Great Plains was one large reservation; 1850s: Specific boundaries (smaller reservations) were created for each tribe.

What was the Bozeman Trail?

A route through Sioux hunting grounds in the Bighorn Mountains, provoking conflict.

Which battle ended Red Cloud’s fight to close the Bozeman Trail?

The government agreed to close the trail after the Fetterman Massacre.

Which tribes fought the Red River War of 1874-75?

The Kiowa and Comanche against the U.S. Army.

What was the primary attraction that lured many settlers westward in the 19th century?

The prospect of striking it rich through gold and silver mining.

How did most frontier mining towns appear?

Filthy rows of tents and shacks with dirt streets and wooden sidewalks.

What show did Sitting Bull join in 1885 after surrendering?

William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s Wild West Show.

Define assimilation in the context of U.S. Indian policy.

Adoption by a minority group of the dominant culture’s beliefs and way of life.

What happened to most land sold under the Dawes Act?

Two-thirds went to white settlers; Native Americans received little money from the sales.

What term describes the mass killing of unarmed Sioux at Wounded Knee?

A massacre rather than a battle.

Name one major consequence of the Battle of Wounded Knee.

It effectively ended the Indian Wars on the Great Plains.