History Flashcards
1
Q
the ability of the plains Indians to live on the plains
A
- Generally fit and health, common problems were broken bones, flesh wounds, malnutrition
- They believed accidents and illnesses happen because they were possessed by evil spirits, medicine men would cure them
- Tipis – ideal, made by wooden poles and buffalo skin, the top of the tipi had flaps which could be moved to direct the wind so the smoke from the fire moved away, in the summer skins were rolled up to let air flow through, and in winter the earth was blanketed around the tipi to keep it warm, conical design meant it could resist the strong winds, being nomadic meant the tipi could be packed up and travelled with easily
- They were nomadic
2
Q
the plains Indians beliefs on land and nature
A
- They believed that one great spirit ruled over the world and all natural things had spirits of their own that had to be respected
- Circles were important, they believe that the power of the earth moved and worked with circles, there tipis were circle, the months were circle, circle of life
- Some land was particularly special in high places for example the black hills were particularly sacred as it was where they believed life began, they buried there dead, medicine men went there for guidience
- When they died they went back to the land and their bodies returned to the earth, therefore the land was part of all living things and could not be owned or sold.
- Through visions Indians got to contact the great spirit, boys and girls would get their adult name in a vision,
- Dances were important, the whole tribe would be able to contact the spirit world through dancing, they had the sun dance and the buffalo dance, this would make them better hunters and warriors with the spirits, medicine men would interpret the visions that they saw.
3
Q
their attitudes to war
A
- Warrior society, every tribe had a warrior society, they had their own dress, dances and songs, there role was to protect woman and children from attack and made sure not to many buffalo were killed, always consult the council before, every man was a member
- Why did they fight – not for land, capture horses and weapons or to take revenge or honour,
- Bravery – not dying as it wasn’t worth it, they did counting coup, this involved touching the enemies hand or with a stick and was the greatest honour he could win, more Indians died in hunting then in battle
- Scalping – when an Indian killed someone in battle he scapled the person that way he would have their spirits, the scalps were displayed, if the Indian scapled his enemy it meant that they could not follow him into heaven to fight you.
- Wars happened between tribes, but everyone did not have to fight
4
Q
medicine men
A
- Medicine men – they interrupted the visions of young men, make contact with the spirit world, and all living things, he would advise the chief on curing the sick or whether it was the right time to go to war. If buffalos could not be found he would work with the whole tribe to find them
5
Q
Indian children
A
- Indian children – they taught their children to respect all living things, the parents prepared them for adult life, boys – horsemenship and fighting, girls – provide food and clothing, and how to deal with a tipi, everyone respected everyone and were usually related in some kind of way, they were all treated like one big family, this protected the tribe and allowed it to survive
6
Q
women
A
made tipi, clothes, possession when they were on the move, in some tribes when the divorced happened the man had to leave all the possessions to his wife and go back to his mothers tipi
7
Q
widows and old people
A
more women then men so polygamy was practised, more children at child bearing age, old people got left behind
8
Q
structure of the tribe
A
- Chiefs – led their band and were advised by the council, they were chosen for their wisdom, leadership, skills as warriors and hunting, they were rarely chief for life
- Council – no decision could be made until everyone in the council agreed to it, they smoked a ceremonial pipe as this put them is contact with the spirit world which encouraged them to make useful decisions
9
Q
mountain men
A
- They were the first to cross the great plains, they sold fur in fashion houses in the eastern states, they saw rich fertile land in Oregon and California and talked about what they saw
- They either fought or worked with Indians, for example Jim Bridger had three Indian wives, Jim Beckwith became and Indian chief. On the other hand Jeremiah Johnson killed every Indian he met – an indian had killed and scalped his pregnant wife
- Arguably began the destruction of the way of Indian life as they told people about the land on the other side which then resultantly ended in them moving to there
10
Q
Jim Bridger
A
- Jim Bridger – in 1824 he became the first white man to see salt lake city, he brought the Rocky Mountain Fur company when the fur trade collapsed in the 1840s, built a trading post – Fort Bridger gave supplies to migrants, lead wagon trains to safety, in 1850 he found a better way through and shortened it by 61 miles, Bridger pass was chosen route for Union Pacific Railroad and Interstate 80. He was an army guide scout during the first powder river expedition against the Sioux and Cheyenne who were blocking the Bozeman Trail
11
Q
what were the reasons for early migration
A
- In 1837 the banks collapsed and thousands of people went bankrupt, there were high levels of unemployment like 20,000 unemployed in Philadelphia, wheat prices fell and missippi farmers faced ruin, wages in the east were cut by 40 percent in 1837, population
- Mountain men were willing to act as guides they had nothing to loose so went west
- First migrants arrived in Oregon in 1843, and the next year in California
- Most popular were the Oregon and California trails as they were the most trusted and safest
- People wanted people with different skills, and they waited until they at least had someone who could hunt, they checked supplies and waited until there were sufficient enough wagons to make up a large train
- Gold rush – discovered by accident, major movement of people to the west, around 10,000 men digging for Gold at the end of 1949, it was gone by then, led to the Indians downfall when it was discovered by General Custer in 1874 in the Black Hills
- What was the impact of Gold – increased supply of money and encouraged industry, stimulated San Francisco as a financial centre, when a railroad was built it went to California not Oregon, wealth created the US as a leader of world trade, stimulated movement to west, led to racial conflict, taxes were imposed on foreign miners which led to resentment, Indians were wiped out
12
Q
Donner party
A
- Donor party – 60 wagons and 300 migrants lead by Jacob and George Donner wealthy brothers, left Independence in May 1846, there guide thought he knew a short cut but he hadn’t tried it out, the donner party argued about taking it or not and then they split, most took the traditional trail, and the Donner brothers and the rest took the short cut. The Doners suffered greatly in the desert and lost 4 wagons and 300 cattle, one man killed another, and by the time they reached the Sierra Nevada they were late and had little food, in 1846 snow came early and they were trapped, they dig in for the winter and the first migrant died of starvation on 15th of December, small group decided to battle through the cold and get help, they took some food but 4 men were frozen to death, they ate them and labelled the leftover food so no one ate their husband or wife, the Indians refused to eat so they were shot and eaten, finally they reached Johnsons Ranch and pleaded for help, they found what was left, half were dead and the other half were eating them
13
Q
Joseph smith
A
- Joseph Smith – son of poor farmer, claimed that in 1823 he dug up golden plates. The angel Moroni helped him find the plates and translate the writing on them, it said whoever found the plates would restore the chirch and build up God’s kingdom ready for Christs second coming. Started with only five followers, by 1930 he had serval hundred due to attitude and speaking, he wanted polygamy, newspapers accused him of being a fraud, mobs attacked him house and Mormons were shot in the street, so he moved, accused as being a dictator, and wanted to run for president, he was shot and killed by a mob
14
Q
Mormons in Ohio
A
– 6 years, bought ladn, opened a store, temple, mill and printing press, became prosperous, outnumbered non Mormons, set up a bank that failed/ people becam jealous of success, afraid outnumbered, became angry when they lost savings, drove them out
15
Q
Mormons in Missouri
A
Bought land, became prosperous, friendly with Plains Indians, wanted to free slaves, set up a secret police called the Danites/ mistrusted due to attitudes, became frightened of secret police, attacked Mormons and burned houses, state governor sent troops, Joseph Smith into Prison, Drove them out
