History ch 26 Flashcards
Identify three concepts or preconceptions that led the American government to create Indian
policies such as forced removal, reservations, prohibition of the Ghost Dance, and the Dawes
Severalty Act.
The Indians growing population, killing of animals, and sheer defiance led to the American government creating policies.
Just as the railroads played a huge role in the development of the Industrial Revolution, they
played a pivotal role in the settlement of the west and the growth of the modern American state.
What was this role?
The railroads made the transportation of goods to the west faster, and railroads helped grow communities as goods and resources could get to the remote part of the West. With the building of the railroad, the massacre of the herds began in deadly earnest.
Is it fair to say that there were acts of violence and misunderstandings on both sides of the
Government-US Indian relationship
I would say yes because the Indians were frustrated at the Americans and the Americans were frustrated at the Indians.
What government policy played a major role in the settlement of the West. Identify ways that the
government influenced settlement.
Chief Joseph surrendered to the U.S. authorities and then the Indians under Chief Joseph, went on a hike toward Canada. Then at Sitting Bull they were betrayed into believing that they would be returned to Idaho by their family but they were put in Kansas where 40% died.
What was the final solution for the vanquished Native Americans? What were the conditions on
which the Indians agreed to surrender their ancestral homelands?
The vanquished Native Americans were finally ghettoized on reservations, where they could theoretically preserve their cultural autonomy but were in fact compelled to eke out a sullen existence as wards of the government. Conditions were that the federal government’s willingness to back its land claims with military force. Almost as critical was the railroad, which shot an iron arrow through the heart of the West.
what were the three factors leading to the final defeat of the Indians?
The Dawes Severalty Act, wanting Indians to assimilate to white society, and former reservations that were used for Indians were sold.
What was the role of the buffalo in the cultural conflict between Indians and whites on the Great
Plains in the last half of the 19th century?
The Indians were pretty much just killing buffalo for show. The flesh provided food; their dried dung provided fuel; and their hides provided clothing,lariats, and harnesses. Buffalo was a primary source of substance for the Indians. Sportsmen on lurching railroad trains would lean out the windows and blaze away at the animals to satisfy their lust for slaughter or excitement. The US didn’t like that so America started killing more, almost forcing the Indians into reservations.
What was meant by the slogan “Kill the Indian and save the man”?
“Kill the Indian save the man” was a slogan where Native American children were separated from their parents and their tribe and taught English and culminated with white values and customs.
What caused gold and silver mining to change from individuals with “dishpans” to an industry
dominated by big business?
Indians were trying to get money and make a living. The golden gravel in California was called pay dirt. Once the Indians knew that they could get paid, news started going around. Once they started searching for gold Colorado picked it up and started looking too. Then more people heard and the mining business started booming.
What was the role of the mining frontier in “conquering the continent?”
It attracted population and wealth and advertised the wonders of the Wild West. Women as well as men found opportunity, running boarding houses or working as prostitutes. The amassing of precious metals helped finance the Civil War, facilitated the building of railroads and intensified the already bitter conflict between whites and Indians.
What made and unmade the “long drive?” How?
The railroad made and unmade the long drive.
What were the purposes of the Homestead Act?
The purpose was that public land was to be given away to encourage a rapid filling of what were considered to be empty spaces and to provide a stimulus to the family farm.
Why does the text contend that the Homestead Act “often turned out to be a cruel hoax
Because thousands of homesteaders were forced to give up the one-sided struggle against drought. Naked fraud was the unwanted offspring of the Homestead Act.
What “myth” needed to be dispelled to encourage Western settlement?
Shattering the myth of the Great American Desert opened the gateways to the agricultural West even wider.
What is the significance of the creation of Oklahoma Territory in 1889?
Indians used to occupy the district of Oklahoma but when America bought the territory, it made it illegal for Indians to come over. It quietly marked the beginning of white settlement.
Why was 1890 a “watershed” date—what declaration was made then?
In 1890-a watershed date- the superintendent of the census announced that for the first time in America’s experience, a frontier line was no longer discernible.
Who did farmers often blame (other than themselves) for their economic problems? Other
than poor management, what other factors contributed to their problems?
Farmers were inclined to blame the greedy banks and grasping railroads or the volatility of the global marketplace, rather than their own shortcomings, for their losses.
What is the connection between the Grangers, the Farmers’ Alliance, and the Populists?
The Grangers started gradually raising their goals from individual self-improvement to improvement of the farmers’ collective plight. They also went into politics. The Farmers’ Alliance attacked Wall Street and the money trust. The Populists believed that the U.S. economic policy inappropriately favored Eastern businessmen instead of the nation’s farmers. They all shared concerns about unfair railroad rates.
What was the government’s response to the Pullman Strike?
But U.S. attorney general Richard Olney, an archconservative and an ex-railroad attorney, urged the dispatch of federal troops.
Why was there such vehement opposition to Bryan’s candidacy—even from his own party?
Bryan and his candidacy wanted to turn the peoples holding to fifty cent dollars. There was so much silver that Bryan thought this was a good idea. But this caused a big uproar when the news spread.
