American West Flashcards
When was the Indian removal act
1830
What was the intention of the Indian removal act
-native Americans would live on the plains and settlers would farm lands in the east
- boundary between know as the permanent Indian frontier
Why was the journey west dangerous
- had to cross mountains and rivers
- food and water shortages - Donnor party
- accidents common - many died
- sickness and storms at sea
What were the problems in the East that made people want to move west
- economic - recession in 1837 - high unemployment
What were the problems in the East that made people want to move west
- economic - recession in 1837 - high unemployment
- overpopulation
- diseases such as cholera - overcrowding and poor sanitation
What was the attraction to the west
- New start - fertile, cheap land
- discovery of gold - california gold rush
- government encouragement
What was manifest destiny
The belief that it was the white Americans God given right to move west
What were the difficulties with settling on the plains
- lack of wood
- lack of water
-fertile soil was covered in sod that made ot hard to plough - extreme climates and wind
- grasshopper plagues and prairie fires killing crops
When did the government open up kansas and nebraska for settlement
1854
Who was the leader of the Mormons
Brigham young
Why did the Mormons move to Salt Lake Valley
- they were facing religious persecution in the east - many disagreed with their beliefs e.g polygamy
- conditions in salt lake were harsh so they thought nobody else would want to live there
When did the Mormons originally set off
February 1846
Why did the Mormons leaving early cause them problems
- disorganised, left supplies behind, cold winter
-had to stay in winter quarters
Why was reservation system viewed as necessary
White settlers moving past the frontier meant that settlers and Indians increasingly came into contact - settlers disrupted Buffalo herds and brought diseases, Plains Indians became more hostile
When was the Indian appropriation act
1851
What did the Indian appropriation act do
- allocated funds to allow reservations
- tribes agreed to remain in their territory, received compensation
What was the impacts of the Indian appropriations act
- neither sides stuck to terms - broken promises created distrust and tension
- end of permanent Indian frontier - settlement increased
- restricting Native Americans and building roads etc threatened thier way of life
Why was their problems with law and order in californial after the gold rush
-rapid migration meant towns were unstructured and there were little stable families and communities
- high tensions - racial conflict, rivers and streams crowded
- crimianals also attracted to gold
- poor living and working conditions
Why was keeping order in mining towns hard
- often remote areas
- Congress didn’t establish government in california until 1850
- law enforcement officials couldn’t cope with lawlessness
- relied on vigilante justice - often unfair
What impact did the North winning the civil war have on westward expansion
- able to pass 2 acts
- homestead act - gave settlers free land - open to everyone
- Pacific railroad act - construction of the transcontinental railroad - increased settlement
When were the homestead and Pacific railroad act passed
1862
What new technology was created to improve life out west
- windmills
- New ploughs
- Turkey red wheat
- barbed wire
When was the timber culture act
1873
When was the goodnight - loving trail established
1866
What was Charles Goodnights increase in cattle during the civil war
- left behind 180, returned to 5000
What was the “beef bonanza”
A time where beef became profitable and popular
Why were cattle trails established
There was an excess of cattle in the south and large demand on the north
What did John Lliff do
- Set up open range rancing in Wyoming (1867)
- won a government contract to supply the sioux reservation with beef
Why were cow towns set up
Homesteaders objected to cattle so Joseph McCoy created a cow town away from homesteads were cattle could be driven, others followed
When was abeline set up
1867
Why was there rivalry between cowboys and homsteaders
- longhorns carry disease
- clashes about land ownership
- lack of wood for fences meant cattle disrupted crops (stopped by barbed wire)
Why was the cowboys job hard
- storms, floods, stampedes
- low pay
- conflict with other people in the plains
How did the cowboys job change when ranches developed
Shorter journeys
Why was the west hard to police (c1862 - c1876)
- slow transport
- large area
-lack of formal law enforcement meant they relied on vigilantes - sheriffs poorly paid - lack of money for training
- law officers sometimes criminal
