American West Flashcards
Who was billy the kid
A boy who committed many crimes
Why did the Indians move into the plains
The European settlers
What was the disease the Texas longhorn cow gave out
The longhorn fever
Who were the first white Americans to move west ?
Mountain men
What was the main trail many settlers used to cross
The Oregon trail
How many settlers made the journey across
1500
What mountain range did the settlers have to cross to go west
The Rockies
When did the gold rush start ?
1849
We’re was the gold rush ?
California
Who was the leader of the Donner party ?
George Donner
How many ppl were in the Donner party
80
When did the Donner party to travel
May 1846
When was the homestead act?
1862
What did the homestead act allow
People to buy a home and start a new life
What were cowboys
They were ex balck slaves
Who were the Mormons
A particular sect of the Christian church
What was Abilene known for ?
It’s cow town
When was the Abilene cow town made
1867
What does nomadic mean
To move around places
What did the Indians follow
The buffalo
What is the plains war
Where the US soldiers tried to make the plains Indians give up their land , finally they were put on reservations
When was sand creek massacre
1864
When was the battle of Little Bighorn
1876
When was the battle of Little Bighorn
1876
How long did the battle of Little Bighorn last
1 day
Who won the battle of Little Bighorn
Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho victory the US didn’t succeed
When was the railroad act
1862
What was a benefit of the railroad act of 1862
It allowed people to travel west easier
What were the pinkertons
A vigilante group that were hired to assassinate criminals
Who did the pinkertons famously assassinate
Jesse James, the Reno Gang, and the Wild Bunch
What were the Reno gang known to do
Seize trains and steal the money off the passengers
What was a problem faced by farmers
Law and order
What is meant by manifest destiny
the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the United States throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable
How much was a cow in the Texas cow town
80 dollars
What is open range
unfenced land which was free for anyone to use
How did the open range method end
Ranchers hadover-grazedthe plains. Overstocking had also led to a fall in prices
What caused the herds of cows to increase rapidly
The civil war in 1861
What was the long drive
Where the demand for beef was very high so the Texans drove their cattle north on along driveto Sedalia in Missouri, where they were loaded onto trains for Chicago.
What was the dance Indians performed which they believed would bring buffalo close to them
Mandan Buffalo Dance
What was the sun dance
a structure with a central pole signifying the sun, from which the young men hung themselves by their nipples.
What was the native Americans religion
Animistic- belief in stones nature and trees
