Chapter 17

I. Introduction

Question: What was the state of Native American populations in the West before American expansion?
Answer: Native Americans dominated the American West, controlling most of the continent west of the Mississippi River into the 19th century, with approximately 250,000 Native people still inhabiting the area shortly before major American settlement.

Question: How did American expansion affect Indigenous peoples?
Answer: American expansion often violated treaties, removed Native groups to reservations, and ultimately led to the larger political and military control of the continent by the United States.

II. Post-Civil War Westward Migration

Question: What drove American settlers to migrate west post-Civil War?
Answer: Settlers migrated west in search of quick profits from gold and silver mines, as well as to establish agricultural communities on newly available lands due to the Homestead Act.

Question: What role did the Mormon migration play in westward expansion?
Answer: Mormons fled religious persecution and established significant settlements that served as supply points for others heading to California and Oregon, contributing to the region's development.

III. The Indian Wars and Federal Peace Policies

Question: What characterized the Indian Wars in the late 19th century?
Answer: The Indian Wars were marked by sporadic engagements between the U.S. military and Native groups, driven by clashing economic interests and the American settlement patterns.

Question: How did the U.S. government respond after the Civil War towards Native American groups?
Answer: The government intensified efforts to isolate Native Americans on reservations and took more drastic measures, including military interventions and broken treaties.

IV. Beyond the Plains

Question: What challenges did Native groups like the Utes and Paiutes face during westward expansion?
Answer: They were pushed out of their territories by American expansion, which led to resistances against U.S. military campaigns as well as significant cultural and territorial loss.

Question: Describe the situation of the Navajo during the Long Walk.
Answer: The Navajo were forcibly removed to the Bosque Redondo reservation under dire conditions, leading to high mortality rates and suffering due to inadequate supplies and disease.

V. Western Economic Expansion: Railroads and Cattle

Question: How did railroads influence western economic expansion?
Answer: Railroads facilitated the movement of goods and people across the West, vitalizing industries such as ranching and agriculture while also attracting massive capital investments.

Question: What were the consequences of cattle drives in the 1860s and 1870s?
Answer: Cattle drives linked Texas ranchers to eastern markets, but conflicts arose with native populations and farmers over land usage and rights.

VI. The Allotment Era and Resistance in the Native West

Question: What was the impact of the Dawes Act on Native American land ownership?
Answer: The Dawes Act fragmented Native reservations into individual allotments, undermining tribal sovereignty and leading to significant loss of land for Native nations.

Question: How did Native American prophets respond to American imperial pressures?
Answer: Prophets like Wovoka promoted the Ghost Dance as a spiritual response, seeking to reclaim Indigenous autonomy and environmental harmony.

VII. Rodeos, Wild West Shows, and the Mythic American West

Question: How did the genre of Wild West shows shape American views of the West?
Answer: Wild West shows popularized romanticized notions of cowboy life and Native American cultures, often distorting historical realities while providing entertainment and reinforcing myths.

Question: Who were notable figures in the Wild West shows?
Answer: Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley were prominent in shaping the narratives of the Wild West, showcasing cowboy culture through performances that included dramatic reenactments.

VIII. The West as History: the Turner Thesis

Question: What was Frederick Jackson Turner's frontier thesis?
Answer: Turner asserted that the American frontier molded the nation's unique democratic character, but he also worried about the implications of the frontier's closure on American identity.

Question: What limitations exist within Turner's thesis?
Answer: Turner's thesis is critiqued for its Anglo-centric perspective and failure to acknowledge the experiences and influences of nonwhite groups and technological impacts on American history.