Questions and Answers
Who was the Sheriff of Buffalo who supported the homesteaders?
Red Angus
What did the cattlemen call the homesteaders?
'Nesters'
What was life like in new mining towns and cow towns?
Lawlessness, crime, gambling, and harsh poverty.
Name some well-known lawbreakers.
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Name some well-known law enforcers.
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What were the reasons why Indians and White Settlers had conflict?
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What actions did the US government take to resolve the conflict between them and the Indians?
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What years were the early phase of the Plains Wars?
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In what year was the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) broken and how did it happen?
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What is the Sand Creek Massacre?
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What are Reservations?
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Name all the main leaders in the Plains Wars and their methods.
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Explain what happened in the Battle of Little Bighorn.
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What are reasons for General Custer's defeat?
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What were the reasons for the defeat of the Plains Indians?
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What is the Ghost Dance?
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What happened at the Battle of Wounded Knee?
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What year did the government take over all legal matters on the reservations and why?
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After the Plains Wars, what did the White Americans do to the Indians in the reservations?
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What is the Manifest Destiny?
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Who described the Plains as 'Unfit for cultivation'?
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What are some characteristics and problems of the Plains?
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What did early explorers call the Great Plains?
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What were the four famous tribes and who were they led by?
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What is the term for Native Americans not living in one permanent place?
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What is polygamy?
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What power did the chief have over his people?
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Who are the Dog Soldiers and what did they do?
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What is exposure in Native American context?
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What is Counting Coup?
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What is heaven in the Native American sense?
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What was the one occasion during which 'everybody had to obey' in Native American society?
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What is a tipi and what are its features?
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What activities did Native Americans do for fun?
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Why were buffalo important to Plains Indians?
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How important were horses to Indians?
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What were the roles of men, women, and children in Native American societies?
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What was the worst crime in Native American society?
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What is scalping and what is gained from it?
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What was the Great Spirit called?
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What does it mean that 'Native American religion was animistic'?
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What is the Sun Dance?
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Who is a Medicine Man and what is another name for them?
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Who are mountain men and what year did they start to move west?
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What was life like for mountain men?
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In what decade did fur become less fashionable and beaver nearly wiped out?
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What is a rendezvous?
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Why did Indians dislike the trappers?
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In what decade did most early pioneers move west due to economic depression?
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In what year and place did people start to move west in search for gold?
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What decade did most of the gold disappear?
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What was a '49er'?
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What were the travels of the Mormons?
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Who started the religious group 'Mormons' and when?
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What year did the Mormons have several hundred followers?
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What did the Mormons practice that made non-Mormons hate them?
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How did Joseph Smith die?
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Who was the new leader of the Mormons after Joseph Smith died?
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What problems did Mormons face in the Great Salt Lake?
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Between what years did more and more people start to migrate to the west?
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What are the pull factors for people to move to the west?
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What are the push factors for people to move to the west?
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Who are homesteaders?
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What problems did the homesteaders face?
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What was the role of women in homesteading?
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What problems did homesteaders have in farming?
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What new farming methods did the homesteaders adopt?
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Explain the development of ranching.
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Who established the first cow town and where?
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How was the life of a cowboy similar to that of a Native American?
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What hardships did cowboys have to endure on the plains?
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What jobs did cowboys have?
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What protected a cowboy against the sun?
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What protected a cowboy against the dust?
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What protected a cowboy against thorns?
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What are the reasons for disputes between cattle ranchers and homesteaders?
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What were the events of the Johnson County War in 1892?
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What were the range wars?
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Study Notes
Manifest Destiny and Exploration
- Manifest Destiny reflects the belief of white Americans in their right to expand across the continent.
- Major Stephen Long labeled the Great Plains as "Unfit for cultivation."
- The Great Plains were initially referred to as the Great American Desert by early explorers.
Characteristics and Challenges of the Plains
- Enormous size, isolation, and a semi-arid climate made settlement difficult.
- Lack of trees resulted in minimal building materials and fuel sources.
- Extreme weather conditions included harsh winters with cold, hail, and violent storms.
Native American Societies
- Major tribes included the Apache, Sioux (largest with 25,000 members), Blackfeet, and Cheyenne, all governed by councils.
- Native Americans led a nomadic lifestyle, dependent on buffalo herds for survival.
- Polygamy was practiced as a means to provide for excess women.
Power and Roles within Tribes
- Chiefs held no formal power but earned respect through bravery.
- Dog Soldiers acted as the tribal "police," managing camp activities, hunting, and community welfare.
- Counting Coup involved a warrior's act of valor, touching an enemy before escaping.
Cultural Beliefs and Practices
- The Great Spirit was referred to as Wakan Tanka, and animism was a central belief.
- The "Happy Hunting Ground" represented the Native American concept of heaven.
- Ceremonies such as the Sun Dance showcased spiritual beliefs, while Medicine Men (or Shamans) communicated with spirits.
Mountain Men and Westward Expansion
- Mountain men were early white explorers in the Rockies during the 1820s and 1830s, facing tough, isolated lives.
- The 1840s marked the decline in fur fashion and depletion of beaver populations.
- Rendezvous events served as trading and social gatherings but often devolved into drunken parties.
Pioneer Migration and the Gold Rush
- The 1830s saw economic depression prompting westward migration among pioneers.
- The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and lasted until 1856, drawing thousands seeking fortune.
- Pull factors for migration included new life opportunities, free land, and government legislation like the Homestead Act.
Homesteaders and Their Challenges
- Homesteaders were settlers who cultivated land under law but faced numerous hardships, including isolation and poor living conditions.
- Women played key roles in homemaking, healthcare, and educating children, often facing loneliness during men's extended hunts.
Ranching Development
- Ranching originated in Texas post-Civil War, evolving into "long drives" to cater to beef demands in northern US.
- The "open range" allowed for free cattle grazing until environmental changes and fencing led to the decline of this practice.
Disputes and Law Enforcement
- Tensions existed between cattle ranchers and homesteaders, particularly over land boundaries and cattle drives.
- The Johnson County War of 1892 illustrated extreme conflicts between cattlemen and homesteaders, eventually marking the decline of cattlemen's power.
- Life in mining and cow towns was marked by lawlessness, with rampant gambling, violence, and organized crime.
Notable Figures
- Outlaws like Billy the Kid, Belle Starr, and the James-Younger Gang became infamous for their crimes.
- Lawmen such as Wyatt Earp gained notoriety for their roles in restoring order, notably during the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.### Wild Bill Hickok
- James Butler Hickok, known as Wild Bill, was a renowned scout, gunman, and fighter.
- While rumored to have killed over a hundred men, only seven confirmed kills are documented.
- He was assassinated in 1876 by a hired gunman.
Conflict Between Indians and White Settlers
- The influx of gold miners into the plains, particularly following the Montana gold rush in 1862, threatened Native American lifestyles by disrupting buffalo populations.
- Retaliatory attacks from some Indian tribes on settlers prompted the U.S. government to deploy troops for protection, leading to increased tensions.
- Homesteaders and cattlemen began occupying the plains, intensifying the struggle for land.
- The concept of 'Manifest Destiny' fueled white Americans' beliefs that they had the divine right to occupy Native lands, leading to Native displacement.
- Cultural clashes arose, as white settlers disapproved of Native customs like polygamy, while Native Americans viewed settlers as destructive forces.
U.S. Government Actions
- Treaties such as the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie were initially made to protect both parties but were frequently broken by white settlers, reducing Native land and trust in the government.
- The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to the forced relocation of 70,000 Native Americans to Oklahoma.
- Buffalo hunting was sanctioned by the government to undermine Native society, reducing buffalo numbers from 13 million in 1840 to approximately 200 by 1885.
Early Phase of Plains Wars
- The Plains Wars occurred from 1858 to 1869, involving multiple conflicts over land and sovereignty.
Treaty of Fort Laramie Breach
- The treaty was broken in 1859 when gold discovery at Pike’s Peak led to settler encroachments on promised Indian lands, prompting conflict.
Sand Creek Massacre
- On November 29, 1864, Colonel Chivington led an attack on Black Kettle’s Cheyenne camp at Sand Creek, ignoring signs of peace.
- The massacre was partially fueled by food shortages, leading Cheyenne to raid settlers for sustenance.
Indian Reservations
- Reservations are designated lands where Native Americans were confined, monitored by government agents, starting from 1825.
- Initially, tribes could hunt buffalo, but restrictions tightened post-1860s, reducing them to near-prison conditions.
- Those on reservations often faced starvation and harsh treatment from corrupt officials.
Key Leaders in the Plains Wars
- Red Cloud: Sioux chief known for successful ambushes against U.S. soldiers, later agreed to peace treaties.
- Crazy Horse: Warrior and medicine man who fought fiercely and participated in significant battles, like the Fetterman Massacre.
- Sitting Bull: Resisted U.S. government control and co-led Native forces at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
- General Sheridan: Advocated for Native extermination during winter campaigns for strategic advantage.
- General Sherman: Supported removal to reservations or extermination if tribes resisted.
- General Custer: Famous for his ambitious tactics but suffered a fatal defeat at Little Bighorn.
Battle of Little Bighorn
- The battle stemmed from the Sioux refusal to sell land in the Black Hills after gold was discovered in 1874.
- Custer, leading a two-pronged attack, underestimated Sioux strength and made tactical errors that led to his annihilation and the loss of his troops.
Reasons for Custer's Defeat
- Custer's unilateral decisions and failure to await reinforcements weakened his forces.
- Dividing his troops against a well-prepared Sioux army, which was larger and more united than initially believed, led to disaster.
- His arrogance and misjudgment, along with a lack of proper intelligence, contributed to his defeat.
Reasons for Plains Indians' Defeat
- The U.S. military had modern technology and were trained for warfare, while Native tribes were often fragmented.
- The systematic slaughter of buffalo weakened the Native subsistence economy, increasing dependence on government aid.
Ghost Dance
- A religious movement initiated by Wovoka in 1890, predicting the return of Native lands, the resurrection of ancestors, and the revival of buffalo herds.
Battle of Wounded Knee
- In 1890, U.S. troops, alarmed by the Ghost Dance, opened fire on Sioux, killing 153 individuals, marking a tragic final event in Native resistance.
Legal Control Over Reservations
- In 1885, the U.S. government assumed control over all legal matters on reservations, undermining Native self-governance.
Cultural Impact on Indians Post-Plains Wars
- The U.S. government aimed to assimilate Native Americans into white culture, enforcing American laws and punishing cultural practices.
- Native children faced punishment for using their languages, reflecting efforts to erase Indigenous identities, exemplified by the motto "kill the Indian to save the man."
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Test your knowledge of key concepts in GCSE History related to the American West. This quiz includes important themes like Manifest Destiny and the characteristics of the Plains. Perfect for students preparing for their exams.