American Settlers and the Louisiana Purchase

American Settlers Move West

• By the 1800s, thousands of Americans had settled between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
• Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio were admitted as states
• Settlers relied on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to transport goods eastward
• The US was concerned about potential foreign control of New Orleans, which would disrupt river access

Louisiana and Western Explorers

• Napoleon wanted to rebuild French power in North America and needed funds for war with England
• Jefferson sent an ambassador to France to buy New Orleans
• France offered to sell all of Louisiana for $15 million
• The US doubled in size with the purchase
• Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase
• The expedition began near St. Louis, Missouri, in May 1804
• The group reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805
• Lewis and Clark used interpreters to communicate with Native American leaders
• They informed Native Americans that the US now owned their land
• Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, served as a guide and interpreter for the expedition
• Manifest destiny, the idea of US expansion from coast to coast, became reality

Mountain Men Go West

• Daniel Boone was a frontier guide who created the Wilderness Road through the Appalachian Mountains
• Fur traders and trappers were among the first Americans to explore the West

Settling the West

• Many settlers traveled westward on the Oregon Trail
• The trail stretched 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon
• The journey was challenging, marked by food shortages, harsh weather, and difficult terrain
• The Santa Fe Trail provided another route westward
• It connected Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico
• The trail originally served as a Native American trading route
• Traders used the route to exchange American goods for Mexican goods, often generating significant profits
• The journey was difficult due to hot deserts and rugged mountains
• The Mormons, a religious group, established their own westward trail
• Brigham Young became the leader of the Mormons and directed the group to Utah
• Thousands of Mormons traveled on the Mormon Trail to Utah; by 1860, there were approximately 40,000 Mormons in Utah

Mining Boom Brings Growth

• The American frontier reached the Pacific Ocean with California’s admission to the Union in 1850
• Settlers built homes, ranches, and farms in westward territories
• Railroads expanded westward to connect western goods with eastern markets
• Mining companies transported gold and silver eastward from western mines
• Mining became a major industry with the discovery of vast deposits of precious metals, like the Comstock Lode in Nevada
• Miners from around the world flocked to western mines
• Boomtowns developed quickly when mines opened and often vanished once mines closed
• Mining was a dangerous occupation due to unsafe equipment, hazardous air quality, and risks of explosions, cave-ins, and fires

The Cattle Kingdom

• Growing demand for beef spurred the expansion of the cattle industry
• Cattle ranchers in Texas drove herds to Abilene, Kansas, for shipment eastward
• Cattle ranching spread across the Great Plains, forming the Cattle Kingdom stretching from Texas to Canada
• Ranchers grazed large herds on public land known as the open range
• Competition, the invention of barbed wire, and the depletion of prairie grass ultimately brought an end to the Cattle Kingdom

The Transcontinental Railroad

• The growth of the West created a need for communication across the country
• The Pony Express transported messages along a 2,000-mile route
• Telegraph lines replaced the Pony Express
• Demand arose for a transcontinental railroad
• Congress passed the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864, providing loans and land grants to railroad companies
• Railroads agreed to transport mail and troops at discounted rates
• In a race to complete a transcontinental railroad, the Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California, and worked eastward while the Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska, and worked westward
• Large numbers of Irish and Chinese immigrants worked on the railroads
• Geography and weather posed significant challenges during railroad construction
• On May 10, 1869, the railroad lines met at Promontory, Utah, joining the two tracks with a golden spike
• Companies continued developing railroads throughout the West
• The railroad system facilitated economic growth and population expansion in the West
• Railroads provided improved transportation for people and goods, encouraging westward migration
• The standard time system, established by railroad companies, divided the country into four separate time zones
• Railroads became one of the country’s largest industries

Settlers Encounter the Plains Native Americans

• As settlers began crossing the Great Plains in the mid-1800s, they pressured the federal government for greater access to western lands
• Conflicts intensified with Plains Indians as the number of miners and settlers increased

Struggle to Keep the Land

• The Treaty of Fort Laramie recognized Native American claims to the Great Plains
• The treaty permitted the US to build forts and travel across Native American territories
• The US government negotiated new treaties after the discovery of gold in Colorado, forcing Native Americans onto reservations, designated areas of federal land
• The movement of pioneers and miners across the Great Plains and Native American hunting grounds led to conflicts with the Sioux, led by Crazy Horse
• Most southern Plains Indians agreed to relocate to reservations under the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge, but the Comanche continued fighting until 1875
• When Native Americans resisted confinement on reservations, US troops enforced relocation
• These troops included African American cavalry known as buffalo soldiers
• Most Native Americans had ceased fighting by the 1880s, except the Apache, led by Geronimo, who fought until 1886

Northern Plains

• Battles with the Sioux occurred throughout the 1800s
• In 1876, George Armstrong Custer’s troops were defeated by Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little BigHorn, representing the Sioux’s last major victory
• US troops killed approximately 150 Sioux at the Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890

Southwest

• The Navajo refused to settle on reservations
• US troops raided Navajo fields, homes, and livestock
• Due to food and shelter shortages, the Navajo surrendered
• The Navajo were forced on a 300-mile journey, known as the Long Walk, to a reservation, resulting in numerous deaths

Far West

• Initially, the US pledged to allow the Nez Percé to retain their Oregon land
• The government later demanded the land
• A group of Nez Percé led by Chief Joseph resisted
• US troops compelled the Nez Percé to a reservation in what is now Oklahoma

A Way of Life Ends

• The Ghost Dance movement predicted the arrival of paradise for Native Americans
• The movement gradually dissipated after the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890
• Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute, spoke out against the challenges of the reservation system and advocated for reform in the 1870s
• The Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by promoting private land ownership
• The act ultimately resulted in the seizure of approximately two-thirds of Native American land

New Lives on the Plains

• Two significant land grant acts facilitated westward settlement in 1862
• The Homestead Act provided government land to farmers
• The Morrill Act granted federal land to states for the sale of funds to establish agricultural and engineering colleges
• Settlers in the West included women, immigrants, and African Americans
• Thousands of southern African Americans, known as Exodusters, moved to Kansas and other western territories

Farming

• Breaking up the tough turf on the Plains earned farmers the nickname sodbusters
• New inventions helped Plains farmers address challenges of frontier life
• Farmers embraced dry farming, cultivating hardy crops like red wheat
• Crops were transported eastward by train and then overseas, leading to the Great Plains being dubbed the breadbasket of the world

Building Communities

• Women played a crucial role in frontier settlement
• Annie Bidwell, a founder of Chico, California, supported numerous social causes
• The harsh conditions of remote farms led farmers to form communities, establishing churches and schools
• Children assisted with many farm chores

Farmers’ Political Groups

• Increased farms and productivity led to overproduction and lower prices
• Many farmers lost their farms and homes and became tenant farmers
• By 1880, one-fourth of all farms were rented by tenants
• Farmers established associations to safeguard their interests
• The National Grange served as a social and educational organization for farmers
• The Grange advocated for laws to regulate railroad rates
• Congress enacted the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887 to provide national trade regulations but lacked enforcement power
• The Farmers’ Alliances formed the Populist Party to gain political influence and representation
• The Populist Party supported government ownership of railroads and communication systems, free silver, and labor regulations
• The Populist Party endorsed William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 election, but his defeat marked the end of the Farmers’ Alliances and the Populist Party

End of the Frontier

• Only small portions of the Great Plains remained unsettled by 1870
• US officials allowed homesteaders to settle the Indian territory in what is now Oklahoma in 1889
• Settlers claimed over 11 million acres of former Indian land during the Oklahoma land rush
• The frontier ceased to exist in the United States by the early 1890s

Westward Expansion

• Louisiana Purchase: The French sold Louisiana to the United States for $15 million in 1803, nearly doubling the size of the nation.
• Lewis and Clark Expedition: (1804-1806) Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, this expedition explored the Louisiana Purchase, reaching the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, served as a guide and interpreter.
• Manifest Destiny: The belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America, from coast to coast.
• Oregon Trail: A 2,000-mile trail that stretched from Independence, Missouri to Oregon, attracting settlers seeking rich resources and a milder climate.
• Santa Fe Trail: A route from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, originally used by Native Americans for trade, and later by American traders for high-profit exchanges.
• Mormons: A religious group led by Brigham Young that settled in Utah after a long westward journey on the Mormon Trail.

Boom Times in the West

• Mining Boom: The discovery of precious metals like gold in California (1849) and the Comstock Lode in Nevada (1859) brought a wave of miners and spurred the growth of boomtowns.
• The Cattle Kingdom: The rapid expansion of the cattle industry created a vast cattle ranching territory stretching from Texas to Canada, fueled by the demand for beef.
• Transcontinental Railroad: Completed in 1869, the transcontinental railroad connected the East Coast to the West Coast, significantly improving communication and transportation, and driving economic growth and population in the West.
• Pony Express: A short-lived mail delivery service that utilized a network of riders to deliver mail across the Great Plains before the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

Wars for the West

• Treaty of Fort Laramie: (1851) This treaty recognized Native American claims to the Great Plains, but allowed the United States to build forts and travel across the lands.
• Crazy Horse: A renowned leader of the Sioux tribe during the conflicts with the U.S. government over land rights in the West.
• Treaty of Medicine Lodge: (1867) This treaty aimed to relocate most southern plains Indians to reservations, but the Comanche resisted until 1875.
• Buffalo Soldiers: African American cavalrymen employed by the U.S. army to enforce reservation policies and suppress resistance by Native Americans.
• Battle of Little Bighorn: (1876) A major victory for the Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, where they defeated General George Armstrong Custer's U.S. troops.
• Massacre at Wounded Knee: (1890) U.S. troops killed approximately 150 Sioux in this tragic event, marking the end of major Native American resistance.
• Long Walk: The forced displacement of the Navajo from their homes to a reservation in 1864, resulting in many deaths from starvation and illness due to the harsh conditions.
• Chief Joseph: A Nez Perce leader who led the fight against U.S. government attempts to take their land, culminating in his surrender and forced relocation to Oklahoma.
• Geronimo: Apache leader who continued to fight against the U.S. government until his final surrender in 1886.
• Ghost Dance Movement: A religious revival among Native Americans in the late 19th century, predicting the return of buffalo and the disappearance of white settlers, but it was suppressed by the U.S. government.
• Sarah Winnemucca: A Paiute woman who advocated for Native American rights and criticized the reservation system in the 1870s.
• Dawes General Allotment Act: (1887) This act aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by dividing communal Native American lands into individual plots for farming, but it ultimately resulted in taking approximately two-thirds of their land.

Farming and Populism

• Homestead Act: (1862) This act granted 160 acres of land to settlers who resided on the land for five years and made improvements.
• Morrill Act: (1862) This act provided land grants to states for founding colleges focused on agriculture and mechanical arts.
• Exodusters: Thousands of southern African Americans who migrated to Kansas and other western territories seeking a better life during the Reconstruction era.
• Sodbusters: Farmers who broke the tough sod of the Great Plains, using specialized equipment to create farmland.
• Dry Farming: A method of farming adapted to arid regions by using specific techniques to conserve water and grow hardy crops like red wheat.
• Annie Bidwell: A prominent woman who helped found Chico, California, and was a strong advocate for various social causes.
• National Grange: An organization founded in 1867 to support farmers' interests, promoting social and educational opportunities, and advocating for laws to regulate railroad freight rates.
• Deflation: A period of decreasing prices, which hurt farmers during the late 19th century because they received less money for their crops.
• William Jennings Bryan: A populist candidate who ran for president in 1896, advocating for government regulation of railroads and communication systems, free silver, and labor reforms.
• Populist Party: A political party that emerged in the 1890s to represent the grievances of farmers, advocating for policies like government ownership of railroads and free silver.
• Oklahoma Land Rush: (1889) Government officials opened the Indian Territory in Oklahoma to settlers, resulting in a massive influx of people claiming land within a short time.
• The Closing of the Frontier: By the early 1890s, the westward expansion had reached its peak, leading to the official end of the "frontier" in the United States.

Explore the westward movement of American settlers in the 1800s and the impact of the Louisiana Purchase. Discover how the acquisition of new territories and the Lewis and Clark expedition shaped America’s expansion. Test your knowledge of key events and figures involved in this pivotal period of history.