History - American West - 1862 to 1876

Question 1

when was the Homestead Act?

Answer 1

• in 1862

Question 2

what were the aims of the Homestead Act?

Answer 2

• to encourage the settlement of the West by individual family farmers

Question 3

what were the terms of the Homestead Act?

Answer 3

• the land was available very cheaply
• most citizens could file a claim for land
• homesteaders had to prove they had worked and lived on the land
• homesteaders weren’t allowed more than one claim

Question 4

what were the consequences of the Homestead Act?

Answer 4

• over 6 million acres of federal land was homesteaded by 1876
• the promise of free land was an important pull factor for immigration to the USA
• encouraged white settlement in the Plains

Question 5

what were the limitations of the Homestead Act?

Answer 5

• because of the farming difficulties, there was a high dropout in homesteading
• the government gave 300 million acres to railroad companies who sold it to settlers, which was more influential than the Act itself
• rich landowners found lots of ways to buy up land using the Homestead Act

Question 6

when was the First Transcontinental Railroad built?

Answer 6

• in 1869

Question 7

what was the importance of the railroads for the government?

Answer 7

• troops could be moved around to control the Indians
• Americans can keep in touch and create national unity
• helps fulfil the Manifest Destiny
• law officers can reach settlements having problems with law and order
• promotes the settlement of the West
• goods can easily be transported

Question 8

what was the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862?

Answer 8

• it granted the enormous job of building the first transcontinental railroad to two companies: the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific

Question 9

how did the government support the railroads?

Answer 9

• $61 million in loans
• 45 million acres of free land for the railroad companies to sell to settlers
• agreed to treaties with the Indians to move them to new reservations

Question 9

how did railroads promote settlement?

Answer 9

• railroad companies sold plots of land and set up towns
• immigrants were persuaded to “come West” and buy their land
• railroad companies used effective marketing to sell the idea of settling in the West

Question 10

what was the impact of the Civil War?

Answer 10

• young men resented the US government and its laws
• many young men were traumatised by war and found it hard to fit in
• the South’s economy was very bad so many were left without jobs

Question 11

what was the impact of the railroads?

Answer 11

• the towns created by railroads grew quickly and there was no local law enforcement
• the “cow towns” had lots of restless cowboys
• trains became a target for train robbers

Question 12

how was lawlessness tackled?

Answer 12

• cow towns passed laws banning firearms
• sheriffs and marshals enforced laws physically
• gangs of outlaws were hard to control and intimidated people

Question 13

what was the first cow town?

Answer 13

• Abilene, made by Joseph McCoy

Question 14

how was Abilene made successful?

Answer 14

• by building stockyards and hotels
• by building a new railroad spur for loading cattle
• by extending the Chisholm Trail up to Abilene, agreeing passage through Indian Territory
• by promoting the new route in Texas

Question 15

what was the Goodnight-Loving Trail?

Answer 15

• Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving realised there was another market for Texan cattle
• the first trail in 1866, 800 cattle sold for $12,000
• in 1868, Goodnight’s trail extended to Colorado and Wyoming, to the Union Pacific Railroads
• this success meant other cattlemen drove cattle to Wyoming and the cattle ranches began to grow

Question 16

what was the significance of the trail?

Answer 16

• new markets were recognised in the West
• the Wyoming cattle industry grew

Question 17

who was John Iliff?

Answer 17

• a man who saw the opportunities to sell meat to booming mining towns in Colorado
• Colorado was not on the railroad so it was hard to get supplies across
• Iliff raised cattle on the Plains and bean to ranch near Denver
• by 1870, he had lots of cattle and a large ranch
• Iliff became Denver’s first millionaire by selling his beef to miners and reservations

Question 18

what was the significance of John Iliff?

Answer 18

• he was the first to raise cattle on the Plains
• he began the start of ranching on the open range of the Great Plains

Question 19

what did cowboys wear?

Answer 19

• hats for weather protection
• bandanas for dust protection
• high-heeled boots for sturdiness
• saddles were the most important

Question 20

who were the cowboys?

Answer 20

• mainly young single men
• very diverse group of people
• many were former soldiers or drifters
• some were criminals on the run

Question 21

what were the cowboys like?

Answer 21

• they were tough, hard-working and often hard-drinking
• worked long hours
• could be a lonely life

Question 22

what was life like for cowboys on trails?

Answer 22

• seasonal work
• slept in the open air and cooked on campfires
• in their free time, they could visit saloons and brothels in cow towns
• they rounded up, branded and drove cattle
• dangers included stampeding cattle, wild animals, crossing rivers etc

Question 23

what was life like for cowboys on ranches?

Answer 23

• work was year round and full time
• slept in bunkhouses and used cookhouses
• wild lifestyles were kept to a minimum and many struggled to adapt to this
• work was similar to the trails but they also checked ranch boundaries and mended fences
• less dangers but wild animals, rustlers and Indian attacks were still a threat

Question 24

what was the issue of ranchers relying on public land?

Answer 24

• ranching needed a lot of land so cattle could roam about
• federal law stated that everyone could pasture livestock on public land for free
• however, problems came when homesteaders filed claims to turn 160 acre plots into homesteads

Question 25

how did ranchers try to block homesteaders claiming public land?

Answer 25

• they filed land claims to parts of the range that homesteaders were interested in
• they bought and fenced jut enough land to block off access to other plots
• they took homesteaders to court over land claims, knowing homesteaders couldn’t afford court fees

Question 26

what was the argument of fencing between homesteaders and ranchers?

Answer 26

• farmers wanted fences to stop cattle roaming onto crops
• ranchers said that cattle had a right to roams
• these arguments ended up in state court cases and tension increased

Question 27

how did the railroads affect the Plains Indians? (buffalo)

Answer 27

• it disrupted the buffalo migrations because of the noise and tracks (led to the buffalo extermination)
• railroads encouraged settlement of the Plains
• the government persuaded tribes to give up land and to move to reservations

Question 28

how did the cattle industry affect the Plains Indians?

Answer 28

• the cattle and buffalo competed for the same grass so buffalo herds were put under pressure
• cattle trails often cross Indian lands

Question 29

how did the 1849 California Gold Rush affect the Plains Indians?

Answer 29

• the whites trespassed on Indian land
• led to the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)
• led to the Indian Appropriations Act (1851)

Question 30

how did the 1859 Rocky Mountains Gold Rush affect the Plains Indians?

Answer 30

• the whites trespassed on Indian land
• led to the Fort Wise Treaty (1861)
• led to the Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

Question 31

how did the 1863 Montana Gold Rush affect the Plains Indians?

Answer 31

• the whites trespassed on Indian land
• led to the Red Cloud’s War (1866-68)
• led to the 2nd Fort Laramie Treaty (1868)

Question 32

why did Indians move to reservations?

Answer 32

• white American expansion meant there was less land
• the US government promised protection and supplies
• desperate tribes signed treaties
• tribes sided with US government for support
• US army used force

Question 33

what was the impact of reservations?

Answer 33

• they were smaller so Indians could not survive by hunting and had to rely on the government
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs was corrupt and cheated the tribes
• when conflicts arose, the government used it as an excuse to take more land

Question 34

what was the President Grant’s Peace Policy 1868?

Answer 34

• new reservation agents were appointed
• the Commissioner of Indian Affairs was an Indian
• a new budget was introduced to improve conditions

Question 35

what was the cause of the Little Crow’s War of 1862?

Answer 35

• after crops failed on the reservation and the government didn’t fulfil their promises, the Indians faced starvation

Question 36

what happened during the Little Crow’s War?

Answer 36

• Little Crow and the others attacked the agency that ran the reservation
• they stole food to share
• they burned the agency buildings and killed several US soldiers

Question 37

what was the result of the Little Crow’s War?

Answer 37

• most Santee had surrendered or been captured
• 38 were executed
• the tribe was moved to a smaller reservation, Crow Creek

Question 38

what was the cause of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864?

Answer 38

• the Cheyenne tribe were starving after crop failures and the government did not keep their promises

Question 39

what happened during the Sand Creek Massacre?

Answer 39

• the tribe and their chief Black Kettle attacked wagon trains and stole food
• they didn’t harm travellers

Question 40

what was the result of the Sand Creek Massacre?

Answer 40

• after 3 years of attacks, Black Kettle negotiated with government officials and the army
• Colonel Chivington led a raid and over 150 Indians were massacred despite surrendering
• both white men and Indians were horrified

Question 41

what was the Red Cloud’s War between 1866-68?