Chapter 17 Review Flashcards
What is a vigilante?
A self-appointed law keeper or someone who takes justice into his/her own hands.
What is a transcontinental railroad?
specifically the Pacific Railroad
A railroad line that spanned the North American continent
A grant of land or money, usually given by a government is known as what?
a subsidy
True or false: Ghost towns usually started out as a camp near a mine, but very quickly developed into towns.
False
Boomtowns usually started out as camps near mines, but very quickly developed into towns.
What is a ghost town?
A nickname for a town where the mine has shut down and all the miners and residents have left.
What is a manual laborer?
Someone who does laborious work with his/her hands.
Why did boomtowns use vigilante justice?
Mining towns (boomtowns) sprouted so fast that law and order was hard to find
It was rare to find sufficient sherifs roaming the nomadic-like civilizations, so vigilantes stepped up, hunting down bandits and imposing their own rough brand of justice.
What incentives did the government offer to railroad builders?
For every mile of railroad track, builders gained ten square miles of land next to the track.
The government also helped cover the cost of construction
Why were railroads eager to serve new mining centers?
They were a great source of passenger traffic. Railroads gained more customers who needed to travel and ship goods (like gold and silver), which increased profits immensely.
The more the mining centers used the railroads, the more profits the railroads made.
How did railroads change the West?
They caused new towns to develop, leading to rapid population growth that helped western territories become states.
Possible Bonus Question
What were the two railway companies that built the Pacific Railroad?
- Central Pacific Railroad
- Union Pacific Railroad
What lifestyle did the Plains people follow for centuries?
They were hunter-gatherers
They gathered wild foods, hunted, and fished
What two significant introductions did Europeans make to the Plains people?
Horses and guns
What was the purpose of the Fort Laramie Treaty signed in 1851?
To protect Native American lands
The Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1851 was an agreement between Native American tribes of the northern Great Plains and the United States government. It aimed to resolve disputes between the two groups and to establish boundaries between the tribes.
What happened after the Fort Laramie Treaty was signed?
Settlers moved onto Native American lands
What significant event occurred in 1864 involving Colonel John Chivington?
The Sand Creek Massacre
Colonel John Chivington and 700 voluneers attacked a band of Cheyennes at Sand Creek in eastern Colorado in 1864. These Cheyennes were friendly and under army protection. They raised a white flag to signal peace, but Chivington ordered his men to attack.
What was the result of the Sand Creek Massacre?
It helped ignite an era of war
Where were many Southern Plains nations moved to?
Reservations in Oklahoma
What made life on reservations in Oklahoma difficult?
Poor soil made farming difficult
Which area was set aside for the Sioux and Cheyenne?
the Black Hills of South Dakota
After a gold strike in 1874 brought a flood of miners to the Black Hills, who led attacks to keep the whites out?
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull
What event in 1876 involved Colonel George Armstrong Custer?
The Battle of Little Bighorn
What happened to Colonel Custer and his men during the Battle of Little Bighorn?
They all died
Colonel Custer tried to force Native Americans onto a reservation, which did not end up working well for him.
Who was Chief Joseph?
Leader of the Nez Percés
Where did Chief Joseph lead the Nez Percés?
To Canada
What happened to the Nez Percés near Canada?
The U.S. Army caught them, and they were forced to surrender
What happened to the Navajos in 1864?
They were defeated and forced to surrender
After years of war, the Navajos were defeated in 1864.
Possible Bonus Question
Where were the Navajos forced to move?
Near the Pecos River
What was the Ghost Dance?
A Native American ritual believed to bring back ancestors and buffalo
The Native Americans believed the Ghost Dance would cause white people to leave the Plains
What did soldiers think of the Ghost Dance?
They saw it as the beginning of an uprising
What happened to Sitting Bull?
He was killed in a struggle after the government feared he was involved in the Ghost Dance movement
What tragic event occurred at the Battle of Wounded Knee?
Nearly 200 Sioux men, women, and children were killed
The Battle of Wounded Knee, also known as The Wounded Knee Massacre, was the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
Possible Bonus Question
Colonel John Chivington attacked a Native American group called the _________ at Sand Creek.
Cheyennes
In 1887, what Act did Congress pass?
Hint: It was meant to make Native Americans more like white people
The Dawes Act
What did the Dawes Act do for Native Americans?
- It gave Native American men 160 acres to farm
- It set up schools for Native American children
True or false: The Dawes Act ended up succeeding in its goal to immerse Native Americans in white culture.
False.
The Dawes Act, which was supposed to encourage the breakup of Native American tribes and create farmers out of Natives, did not end up working successfully.
Why did the Dawes Act fail?
Native Americans didn’t take to farming and sold their land cheaply to dishonest whites
"I shall fight no more forever."
Who said this quote?
Chief Joseph, when he surrendered to the U.S. Army.
"Fearful of further violence, a band of Sioux tried to flee to safety. Army troops surrounded them at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. As the Sioux were giving up their guns, a shot rang out. The men, women, and children were killed."
What battle is being described?
The Battle of Wounded Knee
"A people's dream died there."
What was the Native American chief who stated this referring to?
The Battle of Wounded Knee
What is the open range?
The unfenced land in the west that was owned by the government
The term refers to vast areas of land where cattle could graze freely.
What is a cow town?
A settlement at the end of a cattle trail
Cow towns were crucial for cattle drives as they served as supply points and markets.
What is a cattle drive?
The herding and moving of cattle over long distances
Cattle drives were essential for transporting cattle to railroads for shipment.
What is a cattle kingdom?
The region dominated by the cattle industry and its ranches, trails, and cow towns
This term describes areas where cattle ranching was the primary economic activity.
What does the term vaquero mean?
The Spanish word for cowhand or cowboy
Vaqueros played a significant role in shaping the skills and techniques of American cowboys.
Who was Joseph McCoy?
He founded Abilene, Kansas, the first cowtown
McCoy’s efforts were pivotal in establishing cow towns as key points in the cattle trade.
Why did cattle drives cover long distances?
Some rail lines (the key destinations) were as far away as 1,000 miles, necessitating long herding journeys
Ranchers hired cowhands to move the cattle to rail lines in Kansas, Missouri, and Wyoming.
What skills did American cowboys learn from Spanish and Mexican vaqueros?
They learned how to ride, rope, and brand
These skills were essential for managing cattle effectively.
How true was the myth of the Wild West?
The Wild West had some basis in fact, but was often exaggerated
In reality, the West was being transformed into more peaceful communities.
What factors ended the cattle boom?
Too many cattle, harsh weather conditions, and simultaneous economic depressions
These factors led to overgrazing, cattle deaths, and decreased beef prices.
What is a homesteader?
A settler who acquired free land in the Great Plains from the government
Homesteaders were part of the Homestead Act, which aimed to encourage settlement in the West.
Define sod in the context of agriculture.
A surface layer of earth in which the roots of grasses tangle with soil
Sod is crucial for farming as it provides a base for crops.
Farmers on the Great Plains who broke through the sod were also known as what?
sodbusters
Sodbusters used machinery to cultivate land that was difficult to farm.
What does the term ‘sooner’ refer to?
someone that cheated during the Oklahoma Land Rush
Sooners illegally claimed land before the official start of the land rush.
What is a farm cooperative?
Groups of farmers who pool their money to make large purchases of tools, seed, and other supplies at a discount
This helps farmers save costs and improve their operations.
Groups of farmers who met for lectures, sewing bees, and other events were part of…
granges
Granges aimed to foster community and support among farmers.
What is inflation?
A general rise in prices
Inflation affects purchasing power and can impact economic stability.
Who was William Jennings Bryan?
Democratic candidate for president in 1896 known as ‘the Great Commoner’
He was supported by the Populists and advocated for using silver to back money.
Fill in the blank: The Homestead Act gave a _______ acre plot to anyone who voluntarily resided on the land for five years.
160
What challenges did homesteaders face according to the Homestead Act?
There was not enough fertile land for farmers to turn profits
Most homesteaders (3/5) did not make the five-year mark due to these challenges.
Who were the Exodusters?
African Americans who emigrated from the South into the Plains
Primarily settled in Kansas, Exodusters sought better opportunities.
What demands did the Populists make?
- social reforms
- public ownership of railroads and warehouses
- tax on income to replace property tax
- an eight-hour workday
- doing away of foreclosure
These demands aimed to support farmers and laborers, creating overall social reformations.
What types of machinery did sodbusters use?
- steel plows to break through the tough layer of sod
- drills to bury seeds deep in the ground below the sod
Possible Bonus Question
In the late 1870s, a group called the Farmers’ _________ organized to help farmers by setting up farm cooperatives.
Alliance
True or false: Populists wanted to use silver in addition to gold as a basis for money supply, with the hope of steady inflation.
True
Possible Bonus Question
How much land did the government claim was available in Oklahoma?
2 million acres
Possible Bonus Question
Why were the African American settlers in Kansas given the name ‘Exodusters’?
they believed that they were like the Jews freeing slavery in Egypt, which was told in the book of Exodus
Possible Bonus Question
Who invented barbed wire?
Joseph Gidden
Joseph Gidden, an Illinois farmer, invented twisted metal wire in 1874 to keep cattle from trampling crops.
Possible Bonus Question
Who invented the steel sodbusting plow?
John Deere of Illinois
Possible Bonus Question
Who was a prominent figure that helped promote the ‘Wild West’ fantasy?
William “Buffalo Bill” Cody
Complete the map with the Native American trails.
- Goodnight-loving trail
- Western trail
- Chisholm trail
- Shawnee trail
What was the last major battle between settlers and Native Americans?
the Battle of Wounded Knee
True or false: Settlers in the Great Plains often had to face grueling weather such as hurricanes.
False
In 1851, ten thousand people from many Plains nations gathered near _______________ in Wyoming for a big talk with U.S. officials.
Fort Laramie
READ ONLY: PREPARING FOR ESSAY, RATE 5 IF YOU ARE GOOD
- Allotment and Surplus Land Sales: The [Dawes] act divided tribal territories into individual allotments for Native American families, reserving only a fraction of the total land for them. After these allotments were assigned, the so-called “surplus” land—land that was previously part of tribal holdings—was sold to non-Native settlers and speculators at low prices. This transaction allowed the government and private interests to acquire valuable land that once belonged to Native communities, drastically reducing the amount of land under Native control.
-
Erosion of Tribal Sovereignty:
By dismantling the traditional system of communal land ownership central to many tribes’ cultures, the government undermined the authority of tribal councils and leaders. This weakened the collective political and social structures that helped Native Americans maintain their identity and economic independence, leaving them more vulnerable to outside influence and economic exploitation. -
Forced Cultural Assimilation:
The policy aimed to “Americanize” Native Americans by pushing them to adopt farming on small plots and integrate into non-Native society. In many cases, this agricultural lifestyle was ill-suited to the local environment or to tribal traditions. The government’s insistence that Natives abandon their communal ways and embrace American-style landownership left them at a disadvantage, often without the proper resources, training, or support to succeed. This cultural imposition further solidified the power imbalance and economic dependence on the government and non-Native institutions.
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