American West - Part 1 Flashcards
what were bands?
- most people in bands were related to each other
- they were led by chiefs and had councils of advisers
- the survival and protection of the band was seen as more important than the people in it
who were chiefs?
- they chosen because of their wisdom and skills
- chiefs and councils decided where their bands would go and what would happen to those who broke customs and traditions
what were tribes?
- bands in the same tribe supported each other during crises
- tribal meetings were held annually to discuss issues
- chiefs and elders formed the tribal councils
what were warrior societies?
- formed of the best warriors from each band
- members of these societies protected their bands
what did Plains Indians think about leadership?
- no decision could be made until everyone at the council agreed to it
- the rest of the tribe or band did not have to agree
- chiefs and elders were often guided by the spirit world through visions
what did Plains Indians think about leadership?
- no decision could be made until everyone at the council agreed to it
- the rest of the tribe or band did not have to agree
- chiefs and elders were often guided by the spirit world through visions
what were band roles in Plains Indians society?
- men hunted and fought enemies
- women made clothing, fed the family and looked after their tipi
- everyone looked after children
- elders were respected for their wisdom but would be left behind to die
what animals did the Indians need to survive?
- buffalos and horses
how were bands designed for survival?
- they changed size depending on the amount of food available
- when food was scarce, bands would split up and spread out
how did Indians follow a Nomadic lifestyle?
- the use of tipis
what were tipis like?
- made of wooden poles and covered in buffalo hide
what was the Indian belief about nature?
- everything in nature had a spirit and these spirits could help or harm humans
- humans were a part of nature and should work with the spirits of nature rather than try to tame and control
- they could contact the spirit world through visions and special ritual dances
what was the Indian belief about land and property?
- the tribes had sacred areas e.g the Lakota Sioux had the Black Hills because they believed their tribe originally came from there
- Indian families sometimes had their own garden plots but no one owned land
- land was not one’s property and it wasn’t something you could just buy and own
what was the Indian belief about war?
- their society was full of conflict, but Indians had developed ways to avoid too much killing because young men were essential
- warriors got a lot of respect
- Indian war parties would also run away if a fight turned against them
what was the government support for western expansion?
- needed US citizens to go and lie in its new territories in the West
- this meant that people needed to be able to travel on trails across Indian lands
- US Army forced Indians to move away from trails
what was the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851?
- white Americans wanted to use parts of the lands in the West that had been given to Indians
- reservations were the solution, the government paid Indians to give up their land
- the government hoped that the Indians would integrate into the white American way of life in reservations
describe the timeline of government policy towards the Indians:
1830 - Indian Removal Act forced Indians to move west of the Mississippi River
1834 - Indian Trade and Intercourse Act sets out the frontier between the USA and Indian areas
1848 - US victory over the Mexicans
1851 - Appropriations Act
what was wrong with the “permanent Indian Frontier”?
- it was meant to divide Indian areas from the eastern states and stop whites crossing over to settle in the Indian area
- it did not last a long time
what was the Indian Removal Act?
- 46,000 eastern Indians had to give up their land in return for new lands west of the Mississippi River as the whites thought it was worthless
what were US marshals?
- appointed by the President and were responsible for a state or territory
what were deputy marshals?
- assigned to specific towns and counties in the federal territories
what were town marshals?
- appointed by townspeople annually
- dealt with local outbreaks of lawlessness
who were sheriffs?
- appointed in the counties for two years
- could force local people to form a posse to chase lawbreakers
- could appoint deputies
what were aspects of lawlessness?
- crime (claim jumping)
- isolated communities
- racist tensions (Chinese immigrants)
- mining camps (mainly male, isolated so far from law enforcement)
- lack of law enforcement
- mass settlement
- social factors (alcohol)
what are vigilantes?
- a group of people who decide to punish lawbreakers themselves , instead of relying on the justice system
what were miner’s courts?
- miners set up their own courts to settle disputes over claims
