Westward Expansion, NA short stories, Whitman Poetry

Trains and Native American History Outline

1. Transcontinental Railroad

• Overview: The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 and connected the eastern U.S. rail network with the Pacific Coast, revolutionizing travel and trade.

• Race to Completion: Two companies, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad, raced to lay tracks, facing significant engineering challenges, treacherous terrain, and harsh weather conditions.

• Labor Force: The construction relied heavily on immigrant labor, particularly Chinese workers for the Central Pacific and Irish workers for the Union Pacific, who faced dangerous conditions, discrimination, and low wages.

• Technological Innovations: The use of new technologies, such as the telegraph for communication and steam-powered machinery, significantly expedited the construction process.

• Cultural Impact: The railroad facilitated westward expansion, allowing for easier migration, the movement of goods, and contributed to the destruction of Native American lands and lifestyles.

• Meeting Point: The meeting point at Promontory Summit, Utah, marked the symbolic unification of the country and was celebrated with the driving of the Golden Spike.

2. Context

• Gold Rushes: Discovery of gold in western areas, few struck it rich.

• Americanization: Forcing Native Americans to lose their culture in favor of white culture.

• Manifest Destiny: Belief in U.S. expansion across North America to spread democracy and capitalism.

3. Significant Events

• Custer’s Last Stand: Battle of Little Big Horn (June 25-26, 1876) between Indigenous people and U.S. military over land control.

• Oklahoma Sooners/Land Races: Races for land by people marked with flags.

• Loss of Buffalo: Excessive hunting led to buffalo endangerment.

• Extreme Winters: Native Americans had to adapt to harsh conditions for survival.

4. Indian Boarding Schools

• Created to remove Native Americans from their homes and promote Americanization.

5. Influential Figures

• Chief Sitting Bull: Lakota leader resisting U.S. government.

• Crazy Horse: Sioux tribe member, known for non-traditional resistance.

6. Cultural Themes

• Universal themes: Movement, dancing, buffalo ceremonies, mourning practices.

• Narrative Techniques: Characters and plots used to depict Native American life.

7. Literary Aspects

• Diction: Simple and accessible language.

• Poetic Formation:

  • Free Verse: No rhythm or rhyme scheme.

  • Meter: Patterns of stressed/unstressed syllables.

  • Enjambment and Caesura: Enhance sound.

• Tone and Themes: Ignorant, optimistic, celebratory; focuses on land and individuality.

• Figurative Language:

  • Metaphor vs. Simile: Comparing without (metaphor) vs. with like/as (simile).

  • Personification, symbolism, epiphany, and apostrophes used.

• Walt Whitman: Wrote about American history, included personal war experience and beauty of America.

8. Key Literary Devices

• Alliteration, Assonance, Line stops: Enhance poem sound.

• Cataloging: Listing for effect.