United States History Chapter 13

1
United States HistoryChapter 13

• Higher Order Thinking Skills
• Homework

2
1. Contrast the cultures of Native Americans and
white settlers and explain why white settlers
moved west.

• What were the characteristics of the Plains
  Indians Culture?
• A Nomadic Lifestyle, nearly completely dependent
  on the Buffalo.
• How did the culture of white settlers differ from
  that of the Plains Indians?
• White settlers came as farmers, miners, and
  businessmen.
• They believed that the Native Americans had
  forfeited their right to the land by not
  settling on it, therefore the land was open to
  white settlement.
• Why did settlers continue to push westward?
• Discovery of Gold in the Black Hills of Colorado
  and the discovery of Silver in Minnesota brought
  tens of thousands looking to strike it rich.

3
2. Identify restrictions imposed by the
government on Native Americans and describe their
consequences

• How did the government attempt to deal with the
  growing conflict between Native Americans and
  white settlers?
• The government restricted the reservation lands
  by setting boundaries for each tribe. The Native
  Americans ignored these boundaries, which led to
  violent confrontations with white settlers.
• Why did the Black Hills become a contested
  territory between Native Americans and whites?
• Gold had been discovered in sacred Native lands,
  a confrontation was inevitable.
• What were the consequences of the defeat of
  General Custers forces?
• An escalation (increase) in the U.S. Military
  presence on the Great Plains and the violent
  destruction of Native American resistance to the
  westward expansion of the United States.

4
3. Identify the governments policy of
assimilation as well as continuing conflicts
between Native Americans and settlers

• What was the Dawes Act and what goal did it seek
  to achieve?
• The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 broke up the
  Reservation System, Abolished the Tribal System,
  and aimed to Americanize the Natives.
• Why was the destruction of the Buffalo so
  detrimental to the Native American way of life?
• The Plains Indian depended on it, the destruction
  of the Buffalo meant the destruction of their way
  of life (which the government knew when they
  authorized hunters to wipe out the Buffalo
  population to near extinction).
• What were the causes and consequences of the
  Battle of Wounded Knee?
• The resumption of banned dancing rituals led to a
  raid by the U.S. Military.
• The ensuing conflict resulted in the deaths of
  many elderly, women, and children.
• This confrontation ended Native American
  resistance on the Great Plains.

5
4. Trace the development of the cattle industry

• What influence did Spanish Ranchers have on the
  American Cowboy?
• Mexican Vaqueros taught the American settlers how
  to round up, rope, brand, and care for the
  animals.
• How did the growth of railroads and cities impact
  the cattle business?
• It increased demand for beef by providing a means
  to get the cattle to meat packing plants in
  Minnesota and Illinois.
• Where did the Chisholm Trail run?
• It ran from San Antonio, Texas through Oklahoma
  to Abilene, Kansas.

6
5. Describe both the myth and the reality of the
American cowboy and explain the end of the open
range.

• How did the ordinary cowboys life differ from
  the popular conception of it?
• Some Cowboys were African American and Mexican,
  they were not prone to fighting villains, and
  they worked much harder than they played.
• What was the Long Drive?
• The overland transport of the cattle from the
  ranch to the railroad, typically lasted around
  three months.
• What factors helped bring an end to the open
  range?
• Shift to smaller herds by ranchers,
  implementation of an enclosure movement spurned
  by the invention of barbed wire by Joseph
  Glidden, and the invention of the Refrigerated
  boxcar.

7
6. Explain the rapid settlement of the Great
Plains due to homesteading

• How did the Transcontinental Railroad open up the
  West for settlement?
• It provided a cheaper, faster means for people to
  reach the west. Now people with less income
  seeking a new start on life could pick up and
  move west.
• How did the Federal Government encourage western
  settlement?
• The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 150 acres of
  land free to any citizen, or intended citizen,
  who would live on the land and develop it.
• What steps did the government take to preserve
  the nations dwindling open land space?
• The government created Yellowstone National Park
  and forced the Railroad Companies to give up
  their claims to massive pieces of land in the
  Great Plains.

8
7. Describe how early settlers survived on the
plains and transformed them into profitable farm
land.

• What forms of shelter did the Plains settlers
  develop?
• Sod Houses and Dugouts (no trees, made log cabins
  impossible)
• What technology did settlers rely on to help them
  tame the prairie?
• John Deeres Steel Plow
• Cyrus McCormicks mechanical reaper
• The spring-toothed harrow, grain drill, barbed
  wire, and the corn binder were others.
• What hardships did farmers face in the late
  1800s?
• Rising overhead costs (cost of machinery, cost of
  freight rates from Railroads, etc.)
• Decreasing prices resulting from overproduction
• Increased debt and foreclosures

9
8. Identify the problems farmers faced and their
cooperative efforts to solve them.

• What economic problems did many farmers face
  during the late 1800s?
• Banks were foreclosing on an increasing number of
  farm mortgages because the farmer was making
  enough profit to pay his loans.
• The Railroads were abusing farmers by charging
  excessive freight rates knowing the farmer had
  nowhere else to go.
• Why did farmers favor cheap money?
• A devalued money supply would increase prices of
  farm goods and provide the farmer with more money
  to pay back loans.
• How did farmers try to address their problems and
  grievances?
• By forming political organizations such as the
  Grange Movement that would pass laws at the local
  and state levels regulating the Railroads (The
  Granger Laws)

10
9. Explain the rise and fall of the Populist Party

• What reforms did the Populist Party promote?
• Increasing the money supply (printing paper money
  and free and unlimited coining of silver)
• Direct Election of United States Senators and a
  Secret ballot election
• A Graduated Income Tax and a Federal Loan Program
• Eight hour workday and restrictions on
  immigration
• What were the causes and consequences of the
  Panic of 1893?
• Railroads went bankrupt, Governments gold supply
  ran thin purchasing silver, people began trading
  paper money for gold, and the stock market
  crashed.
• 1/5th of the workforce was unemployed
• Why did the Populist Movement collapse?
• Economic concerns trumped concerns about reform
• However the Populist movement showed that the
  downtrodden could organize and have a political
  impact.
• Populism also developed several new political
  ideas that would become law during the
  Progressive Movement of the early 1900s.