Westward Expansion Flashcards

US History

A ??? was an area set aside by the government for Indian use.

Reservation

What were the two main threats for Native American civilizations?

Diseases and the destruction of buffalo herds.

What tribe resisted white settlement, killing 400 settlers and starting a war?

Sioux

What was the Sand Creek Massacre?

A massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians after they were offered shelter by US militia in 1864.

What was the name for the continuous conflict between Indian nations and the US government?

The Indian Waves

What did the United States’ Indian Peace Commission conclude?

Peace could only be achieved if Native Americans adapted to the white way of life.

What was the Treaty of Fort Laramie?

• Government would not take Sioux land and would abandon forts in Sioux territory.

• Government could build a school and other communal buildings

• Sioux would live on federal reservation under federal supervision and support.

What was the Bureau of Indian Affairs?

• Handled relations between Native Americans and the US government.

• Worked to maintain peaceful relations between Native American reservations and white settlers.

• Although they meant well, they often lacked the resources to fulfill their promises, which bred distrust of the US government.

What was the Long Walk of the Navajos?

• 1863, US forces destroyed much of the Navajos land, forcing them to surrender in 1864.

• The Navajoes were then made to march 300 miles to a reservation in New Mexico.

• They were forced to live alongside their Apache enemies

• After 4 years, the Navajoes were allowed to return home.

What happened after the US government failed to uphold the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge?

The Kiowas and Comanches rebelled against US control.

Battle of Little Big Horn

• Black Hills Gold Rush drew many white settlers to the Dakotas and Montana, areas that were supposed to be protected by the Treaty of Fort Laramie.

• Sioux forces led by “Crazy Horse” and “Sitting Bull” fought to drive out white settlers.

• US “George Custer” led his men to ambush 2000 Sioux warriors. Motivated by revenge, they captured the war party.

The Ghost Dance Rebellion

A Religious Revival with preached a ritual would banish white settlers and restore the buffalo. “Sitting Bull” led the rebellion.

What battle marks the end of major Indian resistance to white expansion?

Battle of Wounded Knee

What did reformers believe Indians had to give up before they could become Americans?

Their Tribal loyalties.

What act encouraged Indians to become private property owners and farmers?

The Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887

What were the details of the Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887?

• Each Indian family was given 160 Acres of land

• Tribal practices were outlawed on the land

• Boarding schools were established by reformers and missionaries.

Discovery of what metal brought waves of expansion to the west?

Gold and Sliver.

What was the name of towns that arose when Gold and Sliver were found, but then died when the mines ran out of minerals?

Boomtowns

What were Boom Towns called after they died?

Ghost Towns

How did Congress encourage the construction of the transcontinental railroad?

• Provided cheap loans to builders working on the railroad

• Made land grants where companies could construct railroads.

What immigrants were used in the transcontinental railroad?

Chinese in the west, Irish in the east.

Where was the transcontinental railroad completed?

Promontory, Utah.

What was the Open Range system?

A system which was established under which property was not fenced in and livestock could graze freely.

When was the Open Range system used?

1865-1880

What lead to the end of the Open Range system?

The invention of Barbed Wire.

What was the Homestead Act of 1862?

Government offered farm plots of 160 Acres to anyone willing to…

• Live on the land for 5 years

• Dig a well

• Build a road

What were Exodusters?

Former slaves from the south who founded communities in Kansas and Oklahoma, creating all-black towns.

What was the Morill Act of 1862?

Established Land grants to states to establish agricultural colleges.

What shifted the majority of farming from family to commercial in the 1880s?

Droughts and Blizzards.

What resource was in short supply in the West?

Water

When was the frontier declared ‘closed’ and why?

1890, due to the fact that white settlement had reached most areas of the country.