KV

American History 13-02: The Last West and the Gilded Age — Lecture Notes

Course logistics and expectations

  • Platform and materials: PowerPoint slides are designed to avoid wasted information; if you miss a class, you’ll rely on the study guide on the syllabus or the notes in the course notes.
  • Missed class policy: If there’s an emergency, contact the instructor to obtain notes; normally notes aren’t handed out for missed classes, so attendance is important.
  • Textbook use: Only one required book — American History, volume II by Dr. Kidd. Lectures are not verbatim copies of the textbook; the book is a reinforcement source rather than the primary deliverable.
  • Extra credits: Available and listed on the syllabus; you probably won’t need them.
  • Exams: First exam around September 17, covering the first four lectures and the first four chapters of volume II.
  • Class dynamics: There is noticeable movement in the first week (drop/add). Seating chart will be taken on Friday; choose a seat in advance and then the instructor will jot names down.
  • Attendance and punctuality: The instructor keeps a strict attendance policy; will be on time and expects you to be on time as well. Timeframe for class is from 09:10 to 10:10. The instructor will be ready and start a few minutes after that.
  • Late policy: If you are more than 15 minutes late, it’s advised not to enter and to obtain notes from a peer to avoid disruption.
  • Personal notes: Occasional anecdotes (e.g., experiences living in Texas, transportation references) are part of the lecture but not essential for the exam.

The Last West and the Gilded Age: scope, time frame, and key terms

  • The “Last West” definition:
    • Land area from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Coast; includes the Great Plains.
    • Size: approximately 1{,}200{,}000\,\text{square miles}.
    • The Last West will be settled completely by the end of the 19th century.
  • Chronology:
    • Civil War: 1861\text{–}1865.
    • Post-Civil War to the turn of the 20th century: the period studied in this course section.
    • This era is referred to as the Gilded Age due to a surface of prosperity masking deeper problems.
  • Gilded Age: key characteristics and significance
    • Surface prosperity: industrialization, manufacturing expansion, intercontinental railroads, rapid national growth.
    • Underneath: labor issues, lack of profit sharing, and other social/economic problems.
    • The term comes from Twain’s association; emphasis on looking beyond appearances to understand root causes.
  • Core themes in this unit:
    • Native American displacement and conflict with settlers and the U.S. government.
    • The role of mining and frontier wealth in financing industrialization.
    • Shifts in transportation, finance, and land policy that reframe the U.S. economy.

Native Americans in the Last West: regions, groups, and lifestyles

  • Geography and major regions:
    • Great Plains: central to the Native American experience in the Last West.
    • Southwest: includes groups with nomadic and agrarian practices.
    • Northwest: largely fishermen and hunters; later interactions with U.S. expansion.
  • Great Plains Indians:
    • Lifestyle: nomadic, heavily dependent on horses (introduced by the Spanish).
    • Economy and warfare: highly mobile, skilled horsemen, hunters, and warriors.
    • Key tribes and chiefs: Sioux and Cheyenne are primary for exams; notable leaders include Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
    • Notable fact: Plains Indians are often depicted as the “original American nomads.”
    • The Plains’ buffalo economy is central: buffalo used for food, housing (teepees), clothing, tools, fertilizers, etc.; the buffalo is foundational to Plains life.
  • Southwest Native Americans:
    • Some nomadic, some agrarian.
    • Important groups to remember: Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo peoples.
  • Northwest Native Americans:
    • Primary group after the Civil War: Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph.
  • Demographics:
    • Estimated Native American population in the Last West after the Civil War: roughly 250{,}000 \text{ to } 350{,}000.
    • Population collapse from pre-contact levels helps explain intense conflicts and displacement.
  • U.S. government policy toward Native Americans:
    • Core policy: assimilate or migrate (move further west).
    • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA): established in the 1820s as the federal agency to manage Native affairs; long history of corruption, particularly in the 19th century.
    • Reservations: formal policy starting in the 1850s to confine tribes to specific lands; leaving the reservation was deemed “hostile.”
  • Buffalo and the Great Plains ecological impact:
    • Buffalo central to Plains life; its decimation by white hunters (initially for hides and trade, later for sport) contributed to Native American decline and displacement.

Key events and conflicts: timeline and significance

  • Sioux War on the Minnesota frontier (1862–1865)
    • Context: Civil War era; Lincoln sends Union troops to quell hostilities between white settlers and Sioux on the Minnesota frontier.
    • Outcome: significant loss of life; led to later confinement policies.
  • Sand Creek Massacre (1864)
    • Location: Sand Creek, Colorado Territory.
    • Perpetrator: Col. John Chivington (militia commander).
    • Victims: peaceful Cheyenne Indians; mass killings including women and children.
    • Historical significance: a major violation against peaceful Native communities and a turning point in the public perception of Native policy.
  • Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876) – Custer’s Last Stand
    • Commanders: General George Armstrong Custer with ~3\times 10^2 troops vs ≈ 1{,}500 Sioux and Cheyenne warriors.
    • Outcome: complete destruction of Custer’s command; death of Custer and most of his troops.
    • Strategic impact: outraged Eastern public opinion; increased calls for decisive action against Native resistance; often cited as a turning point in federal policy toward Native Americans.
  • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)
    • Context: Ghost Dance movement; some tribes joined in a spiritual revival that Western observers perceived as threat.
    • Participants: Native Americans led by Chief Bigfoot; the event occurred near Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
    • Casualties: approximately 200–350 Native Americans killed; one of the deadliest episodes in this era; ground too hard to bury immediately; later mass graves.
    • Cultural and historical significance: symbolized the end of major armed Native resistance in the 19th century.
  • Cultural and reform responses:
    • Helen Hunt Jackson: reformer from New England; author of A Century of Dishonor; documented the broken treaties and mistreatment of Native peoples.
  • Dawes Act (Dawes Severalty Act) of 1887:
    • Policy aim: break up tribal lands into individual allotments; 160 acres per family; residency requirement of 25\text{ years} before ownership could be granted.
    • Effects on Native communities: dissolution of tribal landholding and allegiance; some land ended up with speculators rather than Native heads of families;
    • Education policy: Native children were removed to Eastern Indian Schools to assimilate linguistically and culturally; English became the language of instruction; tribal languages discouraged or prohibited.
    • Long-term assessment: mixed intentions, but ultimately harmful to tribal sovereignty and landholding structures.

The Dawes Act, assimilation, and policy critique

  • Goals vs. outcomes:
    • Official aim: civilize and integrate Native Americans into American agricultural life.
    • Reality: land loss through allotments, increased land deals with speculators, and erosion of tribal identity and governance.
  • Historical interpretation:
    • The Dawes Act is presented as part of a broader pattern of broken treaties and coercive policies toward Native peoples.
    • Helen Hunt Jackson and other reformers highlighted the injustices and made the case for reform, yet policy remained largely punitive or assimilationist.

Miners, mining frontier, and the growth of a national economy

  • Mining frontier and the expansion of statehood
    • Major gold/silver strikes spurred rapid statehood for new territories: California (1848), Colorado (1858), Nevada (1859), South Dakota (1874), etc.
    • Each new discovery accelerated immigration and settlement, hastening admission to statehood via a population threshold of 60{,}000 residents.
  • First gold discoveries and their significance:
    • Dahlonega, Georgia (1828): first major gold discovery in the U.S.; demonstrates early gold mining outside the West.
    • California Gold Rush (1848) at Sutter’s Fort: catalyzed huge demographic shifts and state formation.
  • Financial and economic transformations:
    • Mining wealth contributed to the financing of U.S. industrialization through corporate investment banking and broader capital markets.
    • Currency and finance: shift from hard money (gold and silver) to paper currency (greenbacks) during the Civil War; by 1900 the U.S. adheres to the international gold standard.
    • Early monetary regime documents: hard money vs. paper money debates; introduction and expansion of greenbacks during the Civil War era; later consolidation into gold standard arrangements.
  • Transportation and migration:
    • The mining frontier accelerated population movement across the continent.
    • Transportation evolution: from stagecoaches and wagons to railroads; rail travel dramatically reduced travel time and increased mobility.
    • Indians referred to railroads as the “iron horse”; rails crossing Native lands symbolized advancing settlement and frequent conflicts.
  • Overall impact on American history:
    • Rapid incorporation of new states and territories into the Union.
    • Reconfiguration of finance, corporate investment, and national markets.
    • Enhanced mobility and national integration through improved transportation networks.

Review of core connections and themes

  • Interconnectedness of events:
    • Westward expansion and Native American resistance shaped U.S. government policy, including the establishment of the BIA and reservation system.
    • Economic booms from mining funded industrial expansion, which in turn spurred further migration and policy decisions.
    • Cultural and policy responses (e.g., Dawes Act, Ghost Dance) illustrate deep tensions between native sovereignty and American expansion.
  • Textual vs. lecture materials:
    • The textbook serves as reinforcement; the lecture provides core narrative and emphasis on certain primary events, groups, and dates.
    • Students should reference the study guide for missed content and focus on the PowerPoint-listed names and events for exam purposes.

Exam and study reminders

  • Exam focus: first four lectures and first four chapters of American History, volume II.
  • Key terms to review:
    • The Last West, Gilded Age, Dawes Act, Bureau of Indian Affairs, reservations, Sand Creek Massacre, Little Bighorn, Wounded Knee, Ghost Dance, Helen Hunt Jackson, Century of Dishonor.
  • People to know:
    • Sioux, Cheyenne, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, Nez Perce, John Chivington (Chimington in transcript), and Helen Hunt Jackson.
  • Concepts to remember:
    • Assimilate or migrate policy, reservation system, impact of buffalo decline, role of mining wealth in financing industrialization, emergence of corporate finance, and the shift to the gold standard.

Final notes on tone and scope

  • The instructor emphasizes critical thinking about policy impacts, the moral complexities of U.S. expansion, and the real costs borne by Native peoples.
  • Remember to connect broad themes (economic growth, expansion, policy reform, and cultural change) to specific events and dates when studying for the exam.