HOMEWORK Flashcards
Were the Plains Indians’ ideas about gender more ‘advanced’ than those of the white Americans?
In both Plains Indians families and white American families, the division of labour was gendered most of the time.
In both societies, women would look after the children, the home and prepare the food.
The stereotypical men’s role was that of the provider and protector. White American men would go out to work, and Indian men would hunt for food.
However, in some ways, ideas about gender differed between these two groups. In Indian communities parents of both genders would help with childcare.
The use of the word “advanced” could be seen as problematic though. It can be dangerous to compare societies that are so different and to see one way of living as simply ‘better’ than the other without giving a detailed explanation of why you think that.
Why were the Plains Indians so successful at surviving in the harsh conditions of the Plains?
(1)
The Plains Indians adapted their way of life to suit the harsh landscape of the Great Plains over many years. Whilst American settlers tried to bring methods of farming from the East which failed, the Indians lived a
normadic
nomadic lifestyle which was better suited to the environment of the Plains.
Why were the Plains Indians so successful at surviving in the harsh conditions of the Plains?
(2)
The Indians worked with the land and the resources that were naturally found on the Great Plains. They were very resourceful. The Plains Indians found a use for almost every part of the buffalo after they killed them. Even the buffalo tongue didn’t go to waste as it could be used as a hairbrush.
How did the organisation of people into bands help the Plains Indians to survive?
(1)
Bands were small groups that existed within a bigger group of a tribe. People within a band were normally related to each other, like a large extended family. This meant that people were invested in the overall survival of the band not just a couple of people within it.
How did the organisation of people into bands help the Plains Indians to survive?
(2)
Tribal links connected bands together. Bands would support one another during times of difficulty. The bands of a tribe would always come together in yearly meetings.
Why are Plains Indians’ beliefs about spirits and the land so important to the history of the American West?
Conflict over the use and ownership of land is at the heart of the history of the American West. Within Indian society, nobody had a right to own land for themselves. They believed that land was sacred and spiritual. This was completely different to the white understanding of land ownership.
MANIFEST DESTINY
Manifest destiny
White people moved west for a number of reasons, including their religious beliefs.
If the American population was concentrated on the East Coast of America, it would be very hard to defend the whole nation against foreign enemies. They needed to distribute the population all over the country to protect the nation.
The view of ‘manifest destiny’ was that the Christian God wanted white American settlers to rule the whole continent of North America.
This had bad implications for the indigenous Plains Indians.
The American way of life
Manifest destiny can be understood as ‘obvious fate’.
White settlers saw their domination of North America as part of an inevitable process that was desired by God.
Settlers felt they had a duty to spread ‘the American way of life’ on the plains.
The Mormon church, created by Joseph Smith, still to this day tries to spread its beliefs and principles to new people all over the world, spreading their way of life.
Writers such as Horace Greeley encouraged this movement through his advice, ‘Go West, young man’.
White settlers felt they had a duty to spread ‘the American way of life’ on the plains. Writers such as Horace Greeley encouraged this movement through his advice, ‘Go West, young man’.
What is another term for ‘manifest destiny’?
Obvious fate
MIGRATION AND THE DONNER PARTY
The oregan trail
The Oregon Trail was a 2,000 mile route cutting right across the Great Plain. It went from the East Coast of America at Missouri to the West Coast of America
The donner party
In Spring 1846, the Donner Party (a group of pioneers led by the Donner brothers Jacob and George) left Missouri as part of a mission of 500 wagons.
The Donners at the back of the parade tried to take a shortcut with 8 wagons along something called Hastings Cutoff.
At what is now called the Donner Pass, the wagons were stuck in the snow in the Wasatch Mountains. A pioneer in the group called Wolfinger was murdered by one of the group.
There are also unconfirmed reports that the group had to eat other members of the group (cannibalism) in order to survive. 48 of their small group of 87 survived the trip.
Risks faced by migrants
Getting stuck on the Oregon Trail over winter, where temperatures dropped below 0 degrees celsius and snow fell was a risk encountered by the Donner Party.
Some migrant groups were attacked by Indians and some people were killed by buffalo on the journey.
In the summer, sandstorms were common.
Migrants were aided by pamphlets and guidebooks
Which state was the start of the westward trail?
Missouri
The mormon migration
Religious persecution encouraged some of the migration westwards.
The persecution of the Mormons
The Mormon Church had been founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.
In 1844, Smith was killed by an angry mob in Illinois. 2 years later, all Mormons were banned from Illinois (in the middle of the USA).
Orthodox Christians believed that the Mormons were heretics. Some people disliked them because they were anti-slavery and pro-Indians.
The history of Mormonism
Joseph Smith had started Mormonism (also known as the Church of Latter Day Saints) in New York. After being persecuted in New York, Smith moved with his followers across America until in Illinois in 1844, he was killed by a mob. Brigham Young (pictured) took over as the leader of the Mormons. In 1846, the Mormons were banned from the state of Illinois.
Salt lake city
Brigham Young decided to move all of his followers from Illinois to Salt Lake City in Utah. The Mormon pioneers would grow Salt Lake City to be the largest city in Utah today.
The journey to salt lake city
Young led the way in 1846, testing the route from Illinois to Salt Lake City. He selected the best route, documented it, and shared it with the rest of the Mormon followers, who would then join the Mormon base in Salt Lake City.
The best explorers, pioneers and journeyman travelled in the first party, with the less able, following after the best route had been selected.
The route followed by Brigham Young was 1,300 miles long and is known as the Mormon Trail.
Young led the way in 1846, testing the route from Illinois to Salt Lake City. The best explorers, pioneers, and journeyman travelled in the first party. The route followed by Brigham Young was 1,300 miles long and is known as the Mormon Trail.
When did the Mormon’s first migrate west?
1846-7
white settlement farming
After the 1837 recession and throughout the 1800s, lots of White Settlers began farming the Great Plains.
Weather
Summers were arid, hot and dry without much rainfall. This is bad for growing crops. - Winters on the Plains were cold, with temperatures reaching below 0 degrees celsius. This is also bad for growing crops.
There were lots of insects and pests in the Plains and pesticides did not really exist back then.
Stephen Long described the Great Plains as ‘wholly unfit for cultivation’.
Shelter
The Great Plains were open stretches of grasslands. There were very few trees.
Houses at the time were often made of timber (like the Indians’ tipis). Building housing without wood and timber was difficult. Often settlers had to make houses out of mud and earth (these houses were called ‘sod houses’).
Crops brought from east America often failed to survive the dry summers and cold winters as there wasn’t enough rainfall.
Houses at the time were often made of timber (like the Indians’ tipis). Building housing without wood and timber was difficult. Often settlers had to make houses out of mud and earth (these houses were called ‘sod houses’).
Why did crops from the east often fail?
They need more water
The Oregon Trail was a 2,000 mile route cutting right across the Great Plain. It went from the East Coast of America at Missouri to the West Coast of America.
Features of Mormon theology:
1 The Mormon Church had been founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. 2 In 1844, Smith was killed by an angry mob in Illinois. 3 The Mormons were anti-slavery. 4 The Mormons were pro-Indians.
why did settlers live in mud huts?
Because there were no trees
Which company first used the oregan trail?
Pacific fur company
In what year did explorers discover gold in California?
1848
How long did the recession triggered in 1837 last?
7 years
Where did the Donner Party attempt to take a shortcut?
Hastings cutoff
Who led the mormons to Salt lake city
Brigham young
Why was farming difficult on the Great Plains?
Extreme temperatures
Low rainfall
What was the most important factor in Mormon migration to the West?
The west offered people freedom and a chance for a fresh start. This was particularly appealing to the Mormons because they faced persecution in the east by Christians who thought polygamy was blasphemous. In the West, the Mormons could practice their religion freely.
Why were the Mormons successful in building Salt Lake City?
They worked hard and were very determined
They moved to a place away from most other people
Farming on the plains was very different from the East
Crops from the east often failed because they were too dry and they were eaten by grasshoppers and other insects
Why did the US government want Americans to settle the west?
1
The US government felt insecure about the threat of
foreign
foreign powers. They wanted to settle the west with Americans so that they had more control over their territory and were better able to defend it if they needed to.
Why did the US government want Americans to settle the west?
2
The Americans did not only see the settlement of the west as defensive. They thought that God desired whites to settle the entire continent of North America. It was their ‘manifest destiny’.
CONFLICT AND TENSION
Fort Laramie treatie and Indians appropiations act
Us government policy
As manifest destiny and US government policy showed, the US government wanted the settlers to spread across North America.
Previous government legislation
In 1830, President Andrew Jackson had signed the ‘Indian Removal Act’. This forced the Indians to move all of their people from the east of the Mississippi River to the west of the Mississippi River. This was a ‘forced resettlement’ that made roughly 50,000 Plains Indians move west.
In 1834, the Indian Trade and Intercourse Act formed a boundary between USA and Indian Territory, banning Americans from buying or renting land from the Indians. It effectively stopped them from using Indian land.
Causes of tensions between settlers and Indians
More migrants were travelling along the Oregon Trail and more farmers were settling in the Great Plains. This meant that the migrants and settlers were competing with the Indians for food, water and other resources.
The Fort Laramie treaty 1851
In 1851, the US government signed a treaty with representatives of the Plains Indian tribes.
It secured safe passage along the Oregon Trail for all travellers.
Settlers would be permitted to settle and build on the land along the trail.
In exchange, the Plains Indians would receive an annual payment of $50,000.
The Treaty was also supposed to end wars between the Indian tribes, but within a few years, the Crow and Cheyenne tribes were back at war.
Fort Laramie also introduced railroad surveyors and military posts in Indian territory, whilst tribes had to pay fines if they attacked whit
The Indian appropriations act, 1851
As well as the Fort Laramie Treaty, the US government passed the Indian Appropriations Act.
This act moved nomadic tribes into enclosed areas called ‘reservations’. These reservations would be protected by the US government.
Theoretically, reservations would preserve areas of land for the Plains Indians to continue their lives undisturbed by settlers and migrants.
However, the shift imposed White Settler property rights on the Indians and undermined their nomadic lifestyle and independence.
The reservations effectively forced the Plains Indians to live in a smaller area of land.
More settlers moved to the Plains and travelled the Oregon Trail
In 1851, the Indian Appropriations Act provided money to move the Indians onto reservations
White Migration
The government encouraged American citizens to move to the western territories, clearing Indians out of their paths.
1830, President Andrew Jackson had signed the ‘Indian Removal Act’. This forced the Indians to move all of their people from the east of the Mississippi River to the west of the Mississippi River.
How much did the Plains Indians demand to be paid each year before agreeing to the Fort Laramie Treaty?
50k
