Westward Expansion Flashcards
The vast grassland that extends through the central portion North America, from Texas northward to Canada, east of the Rocky Mountains
Great Plains
signed in 1868 created the Great Sioux Reservation, which included the present state of South Dakota west of the Missouri River, but restored only a temporary peace to the region
Treaty of Fort Laramie
the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another
assimilation
A chief of the Sioux;took up arms against settlers in the northern Great Plains and against United States Army troops; he was present at the battle of Little Bighorn (1876) when the Sioux massacred General Custer’s troops
Sitting Bull
U.S. Army officer and cavalry commander in the Civil War and the Indian Wars; defeated and killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 - “Last Stand”
George A. Custer
removed Indian land from tribal ownership and divided it up among individual Indian families; attempt to assimilate Native Americans into white society where property laws were created by whites.
Dawes Act
armed conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the U.S. military, subsequently described as a “massacre” by General Nelson A. Miles; last major conflict of the Indian Wars
Battle of Wounded Knee
the major route north from Texas to Ablilene, Kansas, where cowboys drove herds of cattle to the railroads to be shipped back East for huge profits.
Chisholm Trail
name for the moving of cattle across the plains to the railroad terminals
long drive
Encouraged rapid westward settlement by allowing heads of families to buy 160 acres of land for a small fee ($10-30); settlers were required to develop and remain on the land for five years.
Homestead Act (1862)
a name for African American pioneers who moved to the Great Plains after the Civil War. (1860s –1870s)
exoduster
A frontier home, usually dug into a hill or made from sod. There were very few trees on the Great Plains so pioneers used local sod to build homes.
soddy
Gave federal land and money to the states to help pay for agricultural colleges to teach improved farming techniques to students.
Morill Act (1862 and 1890)
Large-scale farm usually owned by a large company and run like a factory. Led to overproduction and prices of crops fell.
bonanza farms (1800s)
Farmers of the late 1800s who met to share information and try to gain political power over the railroad monopolies of the late 19th century.
Grange
Farmers joined these organizations in the 1880s and 1890s. These groups took the place of the Grange and worked for similar causes: Lower railroad fees, more political power for farmers, more voice in government, etc…
Farmers’ Alliances
a political movement to increase farmers political power and work for legislation (laws) to protect their interests. This is an example of a third political party gaining power in U.S. history. The party lost the election and died out, but most of their issues were later adopted: direct election of US Senators, laws to regulate railroad companies and banks, secret ballots, stronger and larger federal government.
Populism (Peoples’ Party)
The Populists wanted the government to use both gold and silver as a basis for a national monetary system (to back up the paper money in circulation) Farmers believed this would end the economic farm crisis and increase the prices they could get for their crops.
bimetallism
a policy under which the government backs dollars in circulation with gold
gold standard
The twenty-fifth President of the United States. By the 1880s, this Ohio native was a nationally known Republican leader; his major issue was high tariffs (taxes) on imports as a formula for prosperity, as typified by his McKinley Tariff of 1890. As the Republican candidate in the 1896 presidential election, he supported the gold standard.
William McKinley (Republican)
This Democratic candidate ran for president most famously in 1896 (and again in 1900). His goal of free silver (unlimited coinage of silver) won him the support of the Populist Party. He delivered a speech on monetary policy referred to as the “Cross of Gold” speech. He lost the election to Republican William McKinley. He ran again and lost in 1900.
William Jennings Bryan
Republican William McKinley defeated Democrat William Jennings Bryan in a campaign considered by historians to be one of the most dramatic and complex in American history. It ushered in a long period of Republican political power.
Presidential Election of 1896
The major question in the election of 1896 was whether to use only gold or both gold and silver to back up paper money in the U.S. This was an economic question:what action should the federal government take to regulate the economy? (monetary policy)
Silver vs gold issue
