Social Studies

1. Americans Move West

2. Why Americans Move West

3. Why Americans Move West
• Economic
• Land
• Railroads/Employment
• Cattle

4. Economic

5. Economic
• Gold Rush: Settlers find gold in California.
– Prospectors
• Comstock Lode: 1859. Nevada
– Henry Comstock: Found largest silver mine in
North America.
• Locations: Montana, Idaho, Colorado, South
Dakota [Black Hills Mountains]

6. Economic

7. Economic
• Boom Towns: New towns created because of
Gold & Silver mines
– Miners + Merchants + Permanent Structures=
Boom Town!

8. Boom Town
• Settlers Find GOLD or SILVER
• Miners move in and set up camps
• Merchants move in and build buildings
• BOOM TOWN
• Gold & Silver runs out
• Miners move to next spot
• Merchants move with miners
• GHOST TOWN

9. Economic

10. Economic
• Problems with Boom Towns:
– Pollution
– Destruction of Forests & Land
– Conflict with Native-Americans [land]
– Discrimination [Immigrants]
– Lawless Towns: NO real law enforcement
• Vigilantes: Self-appointed law enforcement officials

11. Land

12. Land
• Indian Land: Most of the land the new settlers
were moving onto, was occupied by Native-
Americans.
• Oklahoma: “Sooners” won land races for
pieces of Indian Territory in West.
• Kansas: African-American farmers
[Exodusters] moved to land in the West
offered to them by the government.

13. Employment
• Railroads: Used Immigrant labor to build
railroads
– Chinese
– Irish
– African-Americans
– Mexican-Americans

14. Railroads
• Transcontinental Railroad: 1863. Stretched
across the United States
– Union Pacific: Started in Omaha, Nebraska
heading West
– Central Pacific: Started in Sacramento, California
heading East
– Subsidy: Government money

15. Railroads
• Transcontinental Railroad: 1863. Stretched
across the United States
– Union Pacific: Started in Omaha, Nebraska
heading West
– Central Pacific: Started in Sacramento, California
heading East
– Subsidy: Government money

16. Railroads

17. Railroads
• Promontory Point: 1869. Utah where the two
railroads meet.
– Leland Stanford: President of Central Pacific
hammered the “Golden Spike” to connect the
two railroads.

18. Railroads
• Boom Towns: Also appeared with Railroads.
– Train Stations + Merchants + Settlers = Boom
Towns [Rail Towns]

19. Cattle
• Cattle Kingdom: Longhorn Cattle grazed
across land in the South & Midwest
• Cattle Drives: Cow Hands would “drive” the
cattle North to Kansas/Missouri
– Drives could be dangerous
– Chisholm Trail: Jesse Chisholm [Cherokee Indian]

20. Cattle
• Cattle Kingdom: Longhorn Cattle grazed
across land in the South & Midwest
• Cattle Drives: Cow Hands would “drive” the
cattle North to Kansas/Missouri
– Drives could be dangerous
– Chisholm Trail: Jesse Chisholm [Cherokee Indian]

21. Cattle
• Cow Towns: Towns created around cows, like
Boom Towns.
– Abilene, Kansas

22. Cattle
• Cowboys: Paid a $1 a day
– Vaqueros [Spanish cowboys]
– Lariat [rope]
– Sombrero [hat]
– Chaparrerras [Chaps]

23. Farmers
• Sodbusters: New farmers
– Sod Houses: Homes built out of grass [sod]
• Great Plains Climate: Very Dry. Little Rainfall.
Would cause firestorms
– Insects: Grasshoppers
– Weather: Harsh winters, snow blizzards

24. Farmers
• Sodbusters: New farmers
– Sod Houses: Homes built out of grass [sod]
• Great Plains Climate: Very Dry. Little Rainfall.
Would cause firestorms
– Insects: Grasshoppers
– Weather: Harsh winters, snow blizzards

25. Farmers
• Supply & Demand
• Some farmers struggled to sell crops and
make money.
– Default on their loans
– Foreclosure on farms

26. Farmers
• Help for Farmers:
• National Grange: 1867. Farmers created a
Cooperative. Farmers “Pool” they money
together to buy things wholesale.
– Farmers Alliance: 1870s. Black and White
Cooperatives

27. Farmers
• Populist Party: 1891. Formed by farmers and
labor unions.
– Change: Income Tax Laws, 8-hr work day, limit
immigration. Use silver to make coin money.
– William Jennings Bryan: Populist Party
candidate for President many times.

28. Farmers
• New Technology:
– Steel Plows
– Windmills
– Reapers
– Threshers
– Binders

29. • Comstock Lode Leland
Stanford
• Gold Rush Cattle
Kingdom
• Vigilantes Jesse
Chisholm
• Exodusters Vaqueros
• Oklahoma Land Race Sodbusters
• Railroad Labor National
Grange

30. PLAINS INDIANS

31. Plains Indians
• Location: Great Plains Region
– Well-organized religion
– Language
– Arts & Crafts
– Poetry
• Farmers & Hunters
– Tamed horses

32. Plains Indians

33. Plains Indians
• Buffalo: Tribes migrated with Buffalo
• “Galloping Department Store”: Buffalo gave
tribes everything they needed
– Food, Clothing & Shelter [Tepees]
– Toys & Sleds [travois]
– Tools, Thread & Bowstrings

34. Plains Indians
• Tribal Responsibilities:
• Women:
– Build and care for Home
– Cook meals
– Teach Children
– Small roles in government

35. Plains Indians
• Men
– Hunt & Trade
– Teach hunting skills
– Military leaders
– Spiritual leaders
– Medicine Men

36. Plains Indians
• Traditions
– Sun Dance
– Great Spirit

37. Plains Indians
• Traditions
– Sun Dance
– Great Spirit

38. Government Policy

39. Government Policy
• Reservations: Small pieces of land given to
Indians by the U.S. government
• Indian Removal Act: “Trail of Tears,” forced
Indians to move further West from Mississippi
River
• Homestead Act: U.S. government promised
land to new settlers who would stay for 5
years

40. Government Policy
• Dawes Act: Tried to Americanize the Indians.
Force them to become farmers.
– Threatened tribal ways
– Land was infertile
– Hunters, NOT farmers
– Reservation Life was terrible

42. Reservations
• Fort Laramie Treaty: 1851
– Wyoming
– Receive: Land, money, domestic animals, tools,
etc…

43. CONFLICT
• Chivington Massacre: 1864
– Col. John Chivington attacked local Indian tribe.
– After Indians surrendered, Chivington killed over
100 men, women and children.

44. CONFLICT
• Chivington Massacre: 1864
– Col. John Chivington attacked local Indian tribe.
– After Indians surrendered, Chivington killed over
100 men, women and children.

45. CONFLICT
• Red Cloud’s War: 1865
– Federal government builds a road through the
Sioux territory
– Chief Red Cloud leads Indians to war

46. CONFLICT
• Red Cloud’s War: 1865
– Federal government builds a road through the
Sioux territory
– Chief Red Cloud leads Indians to war

47. CONFLICT
• Sioux War: 1876. Lakota Indians were led by
Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse

48. CONFLICT
• Sioux War: 1876. Lakota Indians were led by
Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse

49. CONFLICT
• Battle of Little Big Horn: 1876
– Col. George Custer and all of his soldiers are killed
in an ambush.
– Worst defeat for the Americans

50. CONFLICT
• Battle of Little Big Horn: 1876
– Col. George Custer and all of his soldiers are killed
in an ambush.
– Worst defeat for the Americans

51. CONFLICT
• Battle of Wounded Knee: 1890
– Chief Big Foot led Sioux in return of Ghost
Dance/Great Spirit
– American soldiers killed over 200 Sioux Indians

52. CONFLICT
• Battle of Wounded Knee: 1890
– Chief Big Foot led Sioux in return of Ghost
Dance/Great Spirit
– American soldiers killed over 200 Sioux Indians

53. PEOPLE

54. PEOPLE
• Geronimo: Famous Indian warrior
• Chief Joseph: Leader of the Nez Perces
• Wovoka: A prophet. Preached for the return
of the Ghost Dance
• Susette La Flesche: Indian reformer
• Helen Hunt Jackson: Writer/reformer. Wrote
Century of Dishonor

55. Manifest Destiny