1877 to 1900 Flashcards
What continent is the United States on?
North America
When did Native Americans or Indigenous people first arrive in North America?
About 15,000 to 20,000 years ago.
To give you an idea of how long ago that was, Jesus Christ was born about 2,000 years ago.
Before Christopher Colombus arrived in North America 500 years ago, did Native Americans have horses?
No. Horses did not exist in North America until Europeans introduced horses to North America.
How did horses impact Native American’s way of life?
It enabled Native Americans to travel faster and follow the herds of animals
What idea encouraged settlers to expand westward throughout the 1800s?
Manifest Destiny
As white settlers expanded westward, what did they encounter?
Native Americans.
Another word for Native Americans is Indigenous people.
How would the United States government make peace with Native Americans to prevent attacks on settlers?
The USA would sign papers (treaty) saying that settlers would stay off Native American land, and in exchange, Native Americans would stay on their own lands. This would ensure there was peace.
Did the United States honor the treaties they signed with Native American tribes?
No. The United States would break the treaties if white settlers wanted the land.
What’s the most famous example of the United States not honoring Native American treaties?
The Trail of Tears.
Explain what happened during the Trail of Tears
This is where the United States broke a treaty with the Native American tribe called the Cherokee. Even though the Supreme Court of the United States (Judicial Branch) said that breaking the treaty with the Cherokee was unconstitutional, the US government forced all of the Native Americans off of the land, most of them walking, with guns pointed at them.
Along the way, at least 3,000 Native people died.
What was the Homestead Act?
It was a law passed in the 1860s that said you could have free land in the West, but only if you promised to build a house and a farm.
What is a homestead?
A house and a farm.
The house is to shelter you, and the farm will feed you and your family. In order to drink water, families would build a well, which would prove them with drinking water.
What is a land grant?
A land grant is when the government gives people land for free. The Homesteading Act provided land grants to people if they met certain requirements.
What was the most important animal to Native Americans?
The Buffalo.
This animal was important because it provided clothing, tools, and food, all in one animal.
Why did the United States government want to kill all the buffalo?
Because the government knew that the Native Americans depended on the Buffalo for their everyday life. By killing the buffalo, it would force the Native Americans to become desperate, making them easier to control.
Explain the plan to kill 30 million buffalo by the United States government
The US government would encourage outdoorsmen and hunters from all around the world to come hunting buffalo. Some of these hunters would kill Buffalo 300 yards away using a sniper rifle.
As a result, the numbers of Buffalo went from about 30 million to less than 1,000 by the 1880s.
What is a Native American reservation?
It’s land where they force Native Americans to live on.
So in other words, a Reservation is a piece of land.
Did Native Americans want to live on Reservations?
No. Native Americans wanted to live off the land and migrate with the seasons.
What do Native American Reservations have to do with killing Buffalo?
By killing all the Buffalo, it made the Native Americans desperate and easier to move on to Reservations.
What is cultural assimilation?
It is the practice of blending into the dominant culture.
So for example, if you move to Japan, you will likely undergo a voluntary process of cultural assimilation so that you can make friends and have a fun life. During cultural assimilation, you will learn to speak the language, listen to their music, eat their food, and maybe even learn about their church out of respect.
How did the US Government get Native Americans to undergo cultural assimilation?
Once the Native Americans were on reservations, the government would go and take their children away and send the Children to boarding schools with teachers who would teach them how to become “American”.
But since more than 80% of America was White during this time, they were really forcing them to adopt Anglo-American White culture.
This was one of the first times the government used family separation, but it wouldn’t be the last.
What happened at boarding schools where Native American children attended?
Teachers taught Native American children how to speak English. Hair that was too long was cut. They also forced the children to give up their names and adopt White names. They were also forced to give up their religious beliefs and adopt Christianity as their main religion.
What are some things historians have learned recently about Native American boarding schools?
At many of these boarding schools, children were raped and tortured. Many of them would be punished with starvation if they refused to abandon their Native culture.
What was the most famous Native American school?
The Carlisle Indian School.
In the first 40 years, 12,000 children attended.
What does this picture show?
The effects of Assimilation on Native American children
If something is “Gilded” what is it?
It means it has a thin layer of Gold, so as to give the appearance of being very rich
Why was the “Gilded Age” called that?
Because it was a time in American history when things looked good on the surface, but if you peeled back the Gilded layer, you would see all the bad rotten stuff.
