Western Frontier Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to the Western Frontier.

Central Pacific RR

Rail company hired by Congress to build the western portion of the transcontinental railroad. Hired thousands of Chinese immigrants.

Union Pacific RR

Built the eastern portion of the transcontinental railroad, relied on Irish immigrants.

General Allotment Act (Dawes Act)

Aimed to distribute Indian reservation land among individual Native Americans into individual family plots, with the goal of assimilating them into white farming culture. Divided tribal lands into individual family plots, bad results

Henry Dawes

U.S. Politician from Massachusetts who sponsored the General Allotment Act (Dawes Act).

Homestead Act

Allowed U.S. citizens to claim 160 acres of land, promoting western expansion.

Black Kettle

Chief of Cheyenne tribe, known for peacemaking. Killed by U.S. troops.

John Chivington

Colorado militia leader responsible for the Sand Creek Massacre, where Black Kettle was killed.

Wovoka

Paiute Spiritual leader who founded the Ghost Dance movement in 1889.

Ghost Dance

Native American religious movement centered on ceremonies meant to bring renewal and drive out white settlers.

Sitting Bull

Lakota Sioux chief and holy man; a symbol of Native resistance.

Wounded Knee

Massacre of about 300 Lakota Sioux by U.S. troops at Wounded Knee Creek, SD.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Federal law banning Chinese immigration for 10 years (later extended); the first major U.S. law to restrict immigration based on race/nationality.