Soc Wild West

Sitting Bull

A leader of the Lakota Sioux who protested US demands for the land. 

Buffalo Soldiers

Federal soldiers sent to force the Natives onto reservation

Ghost Dance

A religious movement that predicted the arrival of paradise for Native Americans

Little Big Horn

Sioux forces surrounded and defeated Custer’s army. It was important because it was a major Native American victory and wiped out most of Custer’s forces.

Transcontinnental Railroad

It was a railroad that spanned across the entire country. It was important because it helped with westward expansion and was extremely important in transportation

Cattle Drive

The process of moving a lot of cattle between states. This created new industries and promoted Westward expansion.

Chinese Immigrants

Many people from China immigrated to the US for opportunity, primarily to the West. They were paid less and built much of the railroads. 

Crazy Horse

A Sioux soldier who ambushed Army forts along the trail.

Wounded Knee

a massacre of the Natives by the US army. It was the last major incident on the Great Plains

Horses

Horses were used by the Natives after their introduction. They made the Natives more nomadic as they could hunt for food easier and didn’t have to stay in one place

Comstock Load

Henry Comstock finds a silver vein in Nevada, and a town sprang up around it, which made 500 million over 20 years

Pony Express

stations across the West to California, in which riders would switch horses or hand off mail to the next rider. This created new industries and allowed for mail to be sent nationally.

Homestead Act

an Act that stated that the government would give any citizen a piece of land that was usually 160 acres in exchange for a pledge that they would farm there for 5 years. It increased the presence and farming in the West

George Custer

A Lieutenant Colonel who discovered gold in the Black Hills of the Dakotas

Long Walk

a 300 mile long walk across the deser the Navajo were forced to partake in to reach the reservation in New Mexico.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

The first Treaty of Fort Laramie laid out the boundaries of Indian territory. The second treaty creates a reservation in the Black Hills area.  They created areas that the Natives were forced onto

Black Hills

Native land which was found to have gold. It encouraged a lot of violence as the Americans wanted this gold and were trying to take the land from the Natives. 

Cattle Kingdom

the cattle taking over the Great Plains for raising and herding them North. They were important because they were cheap in the West, causing them to become a large buisness

Reservations

 land that the United States government forced the Natives onto. They were the cause of a lot of violence as the Native Americans didn’t want to be forced off of their land

Mining

obtaining minerals from different reserves across the West. This created new towns based on mineral deposits and encouraged people to move to the West for opportunity.