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History GCSE Paper 2: Topic 3

The American West, 1835–1895

Revision Booklet

ObjectivesBronze: To describe what happened to the Indians and the White people over the time period. Try and tell the story. (Grades 1-4)

Silver: To identify problems that occurred between the Indians and the White people over the time period. Explain why the problems occurred and what they resulted in. (Grades 5-6)

Gold: To identify the significance of events and what their long and short term impacts were. How did events influence American Government policy? (Grades 7-9)

Your name: ……………………………………………………………………………………You target grade: ………………………………………………………………………

THIS REVISION BOOKLET IS VERY SIMPLE. IT IS DESIGNED TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE SIMPLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN

EVENTS. YOU WILL NEED TO DEVELOP THIS FURTHER WITH MORE DETAILS NOTES IN ORDER TO PASS.

What is in this guide?

Topic revision list: what do you need to know? ... page 3A simple story of what happened … page 6Key events from the revision list … page 16Challenge knowledge questions … page 19Practice questions ... page 23

TOPIC 3 REVISION LIST: WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862

The Plains Indians: their beliefs and way of life The social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival

on the Plains. Beliefs about land and nature and attitudes to war and property. US government policy: support for US westward expansion and the

significance of the Permanent Indian Frontier. The Indian Appropriations Act 1851.

Migration and early settlement The factors encouraging migration, including economic conditions,

the Oregon Trail from 1836, the concept of Manifest Destiny, and the Gold Rush of 1849.

The process and problems of migration, including the experiences of the Donner Party and the Mormon migration, 1846–47.

The development and problems of white settlement farming.

Conflict and tension Reasons for tension between settlers and Plains Indians. The

significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851. The problems of lawlessness in early towns and settlements. Attempts by government and local communities to tackle

lawlessness.

Specific laws, acts, and events that you need to know for this topic. The Permanent Indian Frontier The Indian Appropriations Act 1851 The Oregon Trail from 1836 The Gold Rush of 1849 The Donner Party The Mormon migration, 1846–47 Fort Laramie Treaty 1851

Key topic 2: Development of the plains, c1862–c1876

The Development of settlement in the West The significance of the Civil War and post war reconstruction,

including the impact of the Homestead Act 1862, the Pacific Railroad Act 1862, and the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, 1869.

Attempts at solutions to problems faced by homesteaders: the use of new methods and new technology; the impact of the Timber Culture Act 1873 and of the spread of the railroad network.

Continued problems of law and order in settlements, and attempted solutions, including the roles of law officers and increases in federal government influence.

Ranching and the cattle industry The cattle industry and factors in its growth, including the roles of

Iliff, McCoy and Goodnight, the significance of Abilene and of the increasing use of the railroad network.

The impact of changes in ranching on the work of the cowboy. Rivalry between ranchers and homesteaders.

Changes in the way of life of the Plains Indians The impact of railroads, the cattle industry and gold prospecting on

the Plains Indians. The impact of US government policy towards the Plains Indians,

including the continued use of reservations. President Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’, 1868.

Conflict with the Plains Indians: Little Crow’s War (1862) and the Sand Creek Massacre (1864), the significance of Red Cloud’s War (1866–68) and the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868).

Specific laws, acts, and events that you need to know for this topic. Homestead Act 1862 The Pacific Railroad Act 1862 The completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, 1869 The Timber Culture Act 1873 President Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’, 1868 Little Crow’s War 1862 The Sand Creek Massacre 1864 Red Cloud’s War 1866–68 The Fort Laramie Treaty 1868

Key topic 3: Conflicts and conquest, c1876–c1895

Changes in farming, the cattle industry and settlement Changes in farming: the impact of new technology and new farming

methods. Changes in the cattle industry, including the impact of the winter of

1886–87. The significance of changes in the nature of ranching: the end of the open range.

Continued growth of settlement: the Exoduster movement and Kansas (1879), the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893.

Conflict and tension Extent of solutions to problems of law and order: sheriffs and

marshals. The significance of Billy the Kid, OK Corral (1881), Wyatt Earp.

The range wars, including the Johnson County War of 1892. Conflict with the Plains Indians: the Battle of the Little Big Horn,

1876 and its impact; the Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890.

The Plains Indians: the destruction of their way of life The hunting and extermination of the buffalo. The Plains Indians’ life on the reservations. The significance of changing government attitudes to the Plains

Indians, including the Dawes Act 1887 and the closure of the Indian Frontier.

Specific laws, acts, and events that you need to know for this topic. The winter of 1886–87 The Exoduster movement and Kansas 1879 The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893 OK Corral 1881 Johnson County War The Battle of the Little Big Horn, 1876 The Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890 The Dawes Act 1887

A SIMPLE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENEDTopic 1When white people moved to America, they started to take over the land and take it away from the people who already lived there. These people were called the “Native Americans” or “Plains Indians”.

These Native Americans lived in different tribes, who moved around the land hunting the buffalo. The Native Americans might have attacked each other but not to kill, instead to show how brave they were. Each tribe would have older men who acted as chiefs. They thought the land belonged to everyone and everyone should be able to go wherever they wanted. The medicine man was their link to the spirts. They believed that all living things, including plants and trees had spirts. Women did most of the camp work and were in charge of the tipi. Men hunted. The buffalo was really important to them.

As more white people moved to America, more started to move from the East coast to the new farmland which was near the Mississippi river. They believed it was their duty to take over more land and this would make people happier and better. Some of the land they took belonged to the Native Americans. They were moved off the land by white people, as they thought they were better than the Native Americans.

In 1830, the US President said it would give Native Americans land on the Great Plains, if they gave up their land to the whites. This was called the “Indian Removal Act”. The Great Plains was seen as a big desert in the middle of America. Eventually most of the Native Americans had moved and the whites created a dividing line between their lands and the Native Americans. This was called the “Permanent Indian Frontier”. They didn’t want the Great Plains as they did not want desert land. Some white people moved to live on the other side of America, the West coast. In order to get there, they had to walk across the plains in the middle. The Native Americans did not like this.

More white people then wanted to explore the West coast. Mountain men created trails for the white people to follow. Others wanted to spread Christianity to more of America. Others wanted to start a brand new life. In 1843, lots of white people moved to the west coast. This was called “the Great Migration”. The reason why they went can be divided into push and pull factors. Some people were pushed from the East coast because lots of them had lost their jobs; there was not enough land for them all as there were too many people. Others were dying of illness. Some people were pulled to the west coast, as the land was cheap and the government said that you could claim the land as your own. In 1849, there was a “Gold Rush” and people wanted to move to the west coast to make their fortune. Some moved simply as they believed in “Manifest Destiny”. That they were better than the Native Americans and God had made it this way.

The journey west was difficult. It took 5 months by wagon and had to be done before the winter. In 1846, one group called the “Donner Party” died as they got stuck in the winter snow. It was dangerous as there were rivers, a lack of food, and they suffered from accidents such as shootings. Some people did not travel by land, but by sea too.

The Mormons didn’t go all the way to the West coast, but travelled to Salt Lake City. White Americans didn’t like them so they beat them up. They then had to leave. Their leader Brigham Young wanted to create a new city, just for them, so they could live in peace. They had to leave Ohio quickly, which meant they were disorganised and conditions were bad. Eventually, Young got them organised and they survived.

In the 1850s white people started to think it might be a good idea to set up houses and farms on the Plains. Life was tough on these new farms. They soil was covered in thick layers of mud; there was little or no wood; there was a lack of water; there was extreme wind; and grasshoppers plagued the area.

As white people moved onto the Plains, it caused problems. The Plains were meant to be for the Native Americans. This caused problems between them both. The main reason was that the white people and the Native Americans did not understand each other. They had different ways of ruling the people, who should own land, and the Native Americans were nomadic too. Unfortunately, they came into contact with each other more as people moved to the west coast and especially when gold was discovered. The white people were crossing the Permanent Indian Frontier. The white people polluted the water which brought disease and the buffalo started to go in different directions. Native Americans got scared and they attacked the wagon trains. The white people then became scared of the Native Americans.

The government wanted to reduce the conflict. It came up with the “Indian Appropriations Act”. This act wanted Native Americans to build their own farms and houses in certain areas called reservations. The “Fort Laramie Treaty” was the first time that the government then used the Act to map out which land belonged to which tribes, to stop the tribes fighting which each other. It also was the end of the Permanent Indian Frontier. The Native Americans agreed to remain in their own areas and allow white people to walk through to get to the west coast. They even allowed the government to build roads and forts. As a thank you, the government said the Native Americans would have permanent rights to their land and receive $50,000 of goods a year for 50 years. Unfortunately, no one stuck to the treaty. However, it allowed more white people to move to California; it moved the Native Americans on to certain pieces of land and allowed the government to change their way of life, especially by building roads. The Native Americans could no longer walk around the land freely. Also, Native Americans became annoyed with the broken promises of the US government.

When the white people got to the West coast, they started to fight which each other. A lot was caused by the Gold Rush to California. Many men went to find the gold and as a result, there were lots of towns of men, with no families or communities. They then started to fight over who had discovered which gold, and they would start stealing the land from each other. Sometimes there would be shootings and murders, as a lot of criminals wanted the gold too. There was not much good and there was lots of disease. When the men were not digging for gold, they got drunk and would gamble. This led to problems again.

The US government did not create a government in California until it was officially created in 1850. They did send some of the army in, but they did not enforce any laws. There were people who looked after miners claims, but the justice they gave was not very fair. There was mainly vigilante justice, where people took the law into their own hands and gave punishments quickly. There were no prisons or rights of appeal. Sometimes the vigilantes became so big, that the official law enforcement officials could not cope with the number.

Topic 2In America, there was disagreement between the white people and the southern states wanted to break away and form their own government. This was called the American Civil War. One reason why they fell out was because of white people moving west. They couldn’t agree on things like slavery, and if in the new towns and cities they were creating, if slavery should be allowed. The whites from the southern states were worried that if the new towns did not allow slavery, it might be removed across all of America. Eventually the south lost. Slavery was banned. This war had an impact on the amount of people moving west.

Before the war, the government could not agree on laws that would ask non-slave owning people to move westwards. However, as slavery was now banned, they could agree on new laws.

The first was the Homestead Act (1862). This was important as it gave people land if they farmed it for 5 years. Anyone could claim the land, including immigrants and single women, so ordinary people could now move. There were problems though, as there was some corruption.

The second was the Pacific Railroad Act (1862). The government wanted to build a big railway from one side of America to the other. It would help both sides feel that they belonged to the same country and help people move between the two sides. This law said it was ok to build the first railway. More people moved west as the railway companies sold the land they were given by the government to people, so they could use the money to build the railway. People now were able to sell and buy things, including building materials like wood.

People were moving west for lots of different reasons. Migrants moved as the east was too expensive and there were too many people. The immigrants wanted to become richer and get away from persecution.

Slaves and ex-soldiers wanted to start again. They all became known as “Homesteaders”.

Life on the plains was difficult. However, there were lots of new inventions to help people. A new plough made of steel was invented to help people to grow things on the land. This was called the sodbuster. Windpumps helped people to get the water out the ground. Barbed wire meant that farmers could fence off their land quickly and cheaply. A new crop from Russia called “Turkey Red Wheat” meant that they could grow suitable crops on the land. People needed wood still, so if you lived on land where the soil was not very good, as long as you planted trees on ¼ of your land, you were still allowed to claim the land as your own. This was called the Timber Culture Act (1873).

The white people had to adapt their lives on the plains. Their houses were not very clean and full of insects as the houses were made of sod. So they whitewashed the walls to try and stop the insects. The women ran the house. They educated their children and collected buffalo dung for fuel. Lots of people were lonely in these areas, so they formed church groups so they could talk to each other. As more people came, new schools and shops opened up.

In the 1850s, beef started to become very popular to eat. Lots of people wanted to eat it. This is especially true for cities and towns on the east coast. As there were now railways being built across America, they could drive their cattle to the railways and then take them by train to these towns to sell. There were 4 main cattle trails that were made to help people move their cows from Texas to the railways. Goodnight and Loving decided to send their cows to the west instead of the east. This was a change. They made the Goodnight-Loving Trail. They sold their beef to the army in New Mexico and started to feed the white people who had moved onto the plains. They even struck a deal with the government to sell their beef to the Native Americans who were living in their reservations. Later, some people thought it would be a good idea to grow and feed the cows next to the white people on the plains, instead of spending months walking them there. So they set up ranches. The first man to do this was called Illiff. He worked with Goodnight to find the cows. Then we sold them to the men building the railways or to the Native Americans on the reservations.

However, some white people did not want the cows crossing their land. So a man called McCoy, set up a new town away from the people’s land for the cows to go through. This was called a “cow town”. This was built in Abilene next to the end of the Kansas Pacific railway. It was eventually connected to Texas from the Chisholm Trail. Soon other cow towns were developed.

The white men who travelled with the cows from Texas to the cow towns and the railways lines were cowboys. Their jobs were very tough. There was lots of boredom and discomfort as they travelled with the cows. It took a lot of skill to round up the cows too. Sometimes they came into

conflict with the Native Americans and other white people trying to steal the cows. Most of the time they talked their way out of the problems, but sometimes they had to use a gun. In order to be successful, cowboys had to work together as part of a team. They were paid in one big amount at the end of the drive, when the cows got to their destination. The work of a cowboy changed though, with the ranches being developed on the Plains.

The ranchers and the homesteaders used to fall out. The cows would walk all over the homesteaders land and their crops as there were no fences as there was no wood. If they owned their own cow, the ones from Texas could bring disease and therefore kill the cow. Eventually the homesteaders used barbed wire, but then the ranchers did not have access to the water for the cows. Then they fought over who owned the land.

In 1863, some Native Americans were starving as they did not have enough food on their bad land and there were no buffalos around. So they went looking for food from the white people. There was violence. The Chief of the tribe wanted peace so he moved his band to a camp they thought they would be safe in. However when the men were out hunting the women and children were killed by the US army in revenge. As a result, the Native Americans retaliated by launching an attack on ranches and settlements. War had started. This event was called the Sand Creek Massacre.

There was a white man’s trail that went across the land given to Native Americans under the Fort Laramie Treaty. The Native Americans attacked people who went on the trail. The army decided to build forts to protect them. But they Native Americans walked away from talks when they saw the army building forts before an agreement was made. The Native Americans attacked the army. The US army surrendered. This was a major defeat. Eventually the Chief signed a new Fort Laramie Treaty, which gave them new lands. Also the government promised not to build the forts again. As a result, the Chief promised to never make war again. This event was called Red Cloud’s War.

The government realised using the army was not working. So they tried to move the Native Americans onto small reservations. Then decided to ask them to mix with the white Americans. However, this did not work and conflict continued.

Topic 3Some white people were farmers on the land. There was lots of changes in farming and by the end of the 1800s, lots of the problems the farmers once had, were now solved. One problem was that there was not enough water, so they started to use “dry farming”, which means you dig and mix up the soil as soon as it rains, so you can trap as much of the water in the soil was possible. This allowed the people to grow wheat, which can be used to make bread. There was water in deep underground wells. Eventually they created big wind pumps, with steel blades that would spin

around to generate energy to pull the water up from deep underground. Barbed wire was invented and this solved the problem of having no wood to make the fences. However, it was expensive to buy and it would break easily. So they painted it with a special liquid that made it stronger. They also found new ways of making it cheaper to make. Barbed wire was the most significant invention.

During the same time, white people also looked after cows on ranches, and they could make lots of money from the beef. However, there were too many cows. This means they were overstocked. There were lots of consequences for the white people. There was not enough grass for the cows to eat. As there were lots of cows, the price of beef dropped, so the white people had less money. Some of the white people became bankrupt as they did not have enough money. Others decided to sell up.

In the winter of 1886-1867, there was lots of snow. 15% of cows died. Lots of white people went bankrupt. Those who did not set up smaller ranches, which helped them deal with lots of problems. If it got too cold, they could bring the cows in, and protect them from people who might try and steal them. The white people also bought in better quality cows and kept them separate from the old ones, so they could make better beef. People would pay more money for this. As there was also less cows, the price of beef went up. White people could make money once again. The life of a cowboy also changed. They had to do less adventurous jobs such as mending fences, inspecting grass, looking after the horses and cows in the fields. They slept in bunkhouses, which had thin walls, leaking roofs, and beds with lots of bugs in them. Also, as the ranchers were smaller, they needed fewer cowboys.

After the American Civil War, black people, who used to be slaves, were freed. But their lives were tough. In 1879, they heard a rumour that the Government was going to give them an entire piece of land, just for them. This was a place called Kansas. It was not true, but it meant 40,000 black people moved to the plains. This was called the Exoduster movement, 1879. So why did they move? They did because of the story in the Bible, called the story of Exodus, where slaves escaped to a new land. They also were being treated badly in their current homes. The Homestead Act meant they would get their own land. A man called Benjamin Singleton also said it would be a good thing to move to Kansas. This caused problems. Most of the good farming land had already been taken by white people, and the black people had no money to set up a farm. They found it very difficult to survive. White people did not want the black people moving, so offered some help, but it was not a lot of money. Even in their new homes, black people faced many problems. They were still poorer than white people. They were also treated differently to white people. Like the Mormons, the black people had to move West due to persecution. They were also told it was a good thing due to the religion.

Under the rules, the Government had divided up the land, called “Indian Territory” for different tribes to live on. But there was some land than was not given to a tribe and was just empty. It was not allowed for white

people, but only Indians. The Government then changed its mind and said that white people could live on this bit of land in the middle. White people were excited and they rushed over to get a piece of the land each time the Government opened up new land to be taken. The largest rush was called the Oklahoma Land Rush.

There were problems for the white people, as they tried to get along with each other in their new homes. There was one boy, Billy, who grew up in poverty and started getting in trouble for stealing. Then Billy’s friends were killed when a cattle baron and some smaller ranches got involved in a war. He said he would get revenge for his friends. He got a gang together and caused lots of problems for people. They could easily run away from weak law men and hide in the countryside. Eventually a new sheriff was put in charge of the area and eventually Billy was arrested. He escaped jail, but was then shot dead by the sheriff when they found him. He is called in history “Billy the Kid”. Another man who got into trouble was Wyatt Earp. Earp was arrested for fighting, but then helped the law people to deal with some cowboys. Earp then moved to a mining town. There was a battle between businessmen and cowboys who were enemies. The businessmen made Earp deputy sheriff, if he promised to be on their side. At a place called OK Corral there was a gun fight, Earp and his brothers shot dead three of the main cowboys. People did not like this, as they said it is not how law people should behave. The cowboys then killed one of his brothers. So Earp killed two people he said were responsible. Then people turned against Earp and his other brother, so they had to leave the town. They thought he should have arrested the people responsible, not shot them.

There were also fights between the white people who owned the large ranches, called Cattle Barons, and the homesteaders and white people who owned the smaller ranches. The most famous of these wars, is called the Johnson County War of 1892. There were long term causes of the war. The first was that a few rich men owned the cattle ranches after huge ranches were made using money from abroad. The second was that the really snowy winter of 1886-1867 made some of the rich men go bankrupt. Smaller ranches did better as they could rescue their cows. The rich men claimed that the smaller ranches stole their cows. The third is because more people moved to Wyoming and their barbed wire fences were a problem for the big ranches. The new people also did not like the way the rich men would not share power with them. The four reason is that two homesteaders were murdered. A man called Bothwell, a rich man, used the land for his cows. The land was given to two new homesteaders called Watson and Averill. Averill wrote rude letters about Bothwell to a local newspaper. Then Watson got a small herd of cows for their new land. Bothwell, who was annoyed about the letters, said that Watson had stole his cows. So he hung them both and took the land the cows.

So what caused the war? The smaller ranchers and homesteaders decided after winter, to go around and collect all their cows together, before the rich people did. The rich people said that this was not fair, as

the smaller people would steal their cows. So the rich people hired 22 gunmen to go around and kill 70 smaller people they thought would steal from them in a mini “invasion”. They raised $100,000 to pay for the gunmen. However, this did not work and there was a shoot-out when the gunmen arrived and word spread. The gunmen were surrounded by the local people and arrested. So what were the consequences? The rich people used the money to get the best lawyers. These lawyers moved the trial to a place where the jury liked the rich people and not the smaller people. The lawyers then kept slowing things down until the smaller people ran out of money to keep the gunmen in jail. No one would give more money, so the gunmen were set free and got away with it.

The white people were also still fighting with the Indians. The year 1876 was a big year. This was because the Indian people came together and defeated the USA army. As a result, the US government decided to treat the Indian people differently after.

Under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the Indians were given a large reservation for them to wander around including some sacred land called the Black Hills. White people were not allowed to go into this land. As the white people began to build a railway close to the Indians land, a General called Custer, led some of his men over to protect the builders from the Indians and look for gold. The white people claimed the gold they discovered in the hills. The Government tried to pay the Indians for the land but they did not want money. Some Indians even walked off the reservation too. They were given 60 days to get back onto the reservation by the white people, but with deep snow, they couldn’t. Eventually 7,000 Indians had come together ready for a war. Two of the Indian leaders, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse travelled towards the Little Big Horn River. Custer attacked the Indian camp next to the river. The white people were killed. Some people blame Custer for the army’s defeat as he should have waited for back up, he split his men into two smaller groups which meant they were outnumbered and easily defeated. After the Battle of Little Big Horn, white people wanted to find an agreement with the Indians. Now they wanted to destroy them instead.

By 1890, the Indians were on their reservations and had even less food been given to them. Also their food they grow did not grow that year, so they were starving. They thought if they kept dancing, the Great Spirt would bring Indians back from the dead as well as a great flood to wash all the white people away. Indians liked this idea, so more and more of them began to dance. The white people began to panic, so the army was sent in. Their leader, Sitting Bull, was killed when he tried to stop himself from being arrested. So the Indians followed a new leader, Big Foot. They ran away when the army arrived. However, snow and flu slowed them down and the army eventually got them. They were taken to Wounded Knee Creek. The Indians began to dance again, so they were shot. This is called the Wounded Knee Massacre. There were some impacts of this massacre. The Indians never Ghost Danced again, it proved to white people that Indian people were to be feared, the Indians gave into the

army, the Indian Frontier came to an end – all of the land in America now belonged to white people. So why did the Indian’s way of life end? The white people built trained, they got rid of the buffalo, they government moved them onto reservations, gold was discovered on this land, and the homesteaders moved in.

White people killed the buffalo as the railroad companies would kill them to feed their workmen when building the track. Their skin was turned into leather, which made lots of money. Some white people were brought on special trains out to hunt the buffalo as a sport. The buffalos land was given to white people to build towns on and houses, so they had nowhere to go. The buffalo then caught diseased spread by the white people and their own cows and horses. When the Indians were moved onto reservations, the chiefs of the tribe lost their power. At the start they were not allowed to sign treaties with white people. Then they were not allowed to look after the reservation. The Indians were then judged and punished by US courts. The Indian children were sent to white school that would punish them if they did not use English. The children felt they did not belong to their family and they did not belong to the white people. They were trapped in the middle. The Indians were not allowed to hunt, so they had to wear different clothes and the roles of men and women then changed. The Indians were not allowed to celebrate their feasts or dances. They had to celebrate Christian holidays. Some Indians did not have horses anymore, so they could no longer practice their hunter and warrior skills.

At the start, the Government wanted to move the Indians onto reservations so they could mixed ad then move into white people’s lifestyles. Also it would reduce problems for the white people as they took over. However, some people felt that this was making the Indians lazy and needing the money from the white people too much. So the Dawes Act of 1887 was passed. This gave Indians land that they could have as their own from the reservation. They would then become Americans if they lived on the land. They were not allowed to sell their land for 25 years. The act was important as it wanted to stop the Indian chiefs being powerful, reduce how much money the white people were giving the Indians, make even more land for the white people, make Indian families become farmers and eventually become like white people. As a result of this act, the Indians lost half their land and they failed at being farmers, as the land given to them was too poor. They sold their land as soon as they could and ended up with nothing. Some were cheated into giving their land up.

KEY EVENTS FROM THE REVISION LIST

Event Description

The Indian Appropriations Act 1851

The Oregon Trail from 1836

The Gold Rush of 1849

The Donner Party

The Mormon migration, 1846–47

Fort Laramie Treaty 1851

Homestead Act 1862

Event Description

The Pacific Railroad Act 1862

The completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, 1869

The Timber Culture Act 1873

President Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’, 1868

Little Crow’s War 1862

The Sand Creek Massacre 1864

Red Cloud’s War 1866–68

The Fort Laramie Treaty 1868

Event Description

The winter of 1886–87

The Exoduster movement and Kansas 1879

The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893

OK Corral 1881

Johnson County War

The Battle of the Little Big Horn, 1876

The Wounded Knee Massacre, 1890

The Dawes Act 1887

CHALLENGE KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS

No Question Answer

1Give three uses of the buffalo by the Plains Indians.

2In 1848, the USA gained new territories in the West due to its victory over which country?

3Identify two problems for settlers on the Plains due to the lack of trees.

4In what year was the Indian Appropriations Act passed by the US government?

5What happened in 1837 that acted to ‘push’ some white settlers from the East to the West?

6Identify a (bad) decision that led to the Donner Party disaster.

7

Identify three reasons why the Mormons were able to survive the challenges of early settlement-building in the Great Salt Lake region.

8

‘The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 created reservations for the Plains Indians of the northern Plains.’ Is that statement true or false?

No Question Answer

9 Write a definition of ‘Manifest Destiny’.

10

What did the US government hope to achieve by creating a Permanent Indian Frontier?

11In what year did the American Civil War end – and who won?

12How many acres were allotted to someone making a claim under the Homestead Act?

13What were the names of the two companies set up by the Pacific Railroad Act?

14In what year was the First Transcontinental Railroad completed?

15

What was invented in 1874 that made it much easier and cheaper for homesteaders to protect their crops and livestock?

16What was the name of the trail that was used to drive cattle from Texas to Abilene?

17Who pioneered the first ranch on the Great Plains?

18Describe one way in which cattle ranchers tried to block homesteaders from

No Question Answersettling on the public land used by their ranches.

19What was the name of the trail that triggered Red Cloud’s War?

20Which US President introduced his ‘Peace Policy’ in 1868?

21In which year was the terrible winter that meant the end of the open range?

22Who was the leader of the 7th Cavalry when they were defeated by Crazy Horse in 1876?

23

What was the name given to the religious cult of the 1890s that looked to the Great Spirit to restore the Plains Indians’ way of life to them?

24In what year did hunters realise that there were no more buffalo to hunt?

25In 1892, a range war broke out in which county of Wyoming?

26

The Sioux called them Paha Sapa: what was the English name for the sacred hills where gold was discovered in 1874, triggering the Sioux Wars?

27Which two ranching families were Wyatt Earp and his brothers in

No Question Answerconflict with in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881?

28 Which state did most Exodusters migrate to?

29Which lawman caught Billy the Kid, saw him escape and then shot him in 1881?

30In which year did the US census office declare the Frontier was closed?

PRACTICE QUESTIONS(ET) = Taken from the Edexcel Textbook(HT) = Taken from the Hodder Textbook(PRG) = Taken from the Purple Revision Guide(SAM) = Sample Assessment Materials from the Exam Board

“ CONSEQUENCE” QUESTIONS

Explain two consequences of: the setting up of the Oregon Trail (1836) (ET) The American victory in the Mexican-American War (HT) The discovery of gold in California in 1848 (HT) the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) (ET) (HT) (SAM) The discovery of gold in Colorado in 1858 (HT) the Homestead Act (1862) (ET) The discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountains around Virginia City in

1862 (HT) The Sand Creek massacre in 1864 (HT) The ending of the Civil War in 1865 for the settlement of the West

(HT) The ending of the Civil War for African Americans (HT) the development of ranching on the Plains in the years 1866–76 (ET) Red Cloud’s War (1866–68). (PRG) The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 (HT) the opening of the First Transcontinental Railroad (1869) (ET) (HT) The discovery in 1871 in an eastern tannery of a process to make

high quality leather from buffalo hides (HT) the introduction of barbed wire in the West (1874) (ET) (PRG) the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876) (ET) The defeat of the Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn

(HT) the winter of 1886–87 for the cattle industry (ET) The Dawes Act (1887). (PRG) The Johnson County War in 1892 (HT)

“NARRATIVE ACCOUNT” QUESTIONS

Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which the US government policy towards the Plains Indians developed in the period 1835–51. You may use the following in your answer:

the Permanent Indian Frontier (c1834) the Indian Appropriations Act (1851)

You must also use information of your own. (ET)

Write a narrative account analysing the main developments in US Government policy towards the Plains Indians in the period 1836–61. You may use the following in your answer:

the movement of the Bureau of Indian Affairs the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.

You must also use information of your own. (HT)

Write a narrative account analysing why Americans went West in the years 1836–49. You may use the following in your answer:

the Oregon Trail from 1836 the California Gold Rush 1849.


Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which migration to the West grew in the years 1836–1850. You may use the following in your answer:

The setting up of the Oregon Trail (1836). Economic problems in the East.

You must also use information of your own. (PRG)

Write a narrative account analysing the key events in the years 1851–66 that led to the beginning of Red Cloud’s War. You may use the following in your answer:

the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) the discovery of gold in Montana


Write a narrative account analysing the development of the railroads in the years 1860–75. You may use the following in your answer:

The Railroad Act 1862 The use of Chinese labour.


Write a narrative account analysing the key stages in the growth of cattle ranching in the years 1861–72. You may use the following in your answer:

Joseph McCoy and Abilene cattle barons


Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which homesteaders solved the problems of farming on the Great Plains in the years 1862–76. You may use the following in your answer:

The development of the railroads The invention of barbed wire.


Write a narrative account analysing changes in the lives of cowboys in the years 1865–1874. You may use the following in your answer:

Abilene as the first cow town (1867). The introduction of barbed wire (1874).


Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which the cattle industry grew in the years 1865–74. You may use the following in your answer:

the Goodnight-Loving Trail (1866) the introduction of barbed wire (1874)

You must also use information of your own. (SAM)

Write a narrative account analysing the events of the Indian Wars, 1862–1868. You may use the following in your answer:

Little Crow’s War (1862) The second Fort Laramie Treaty (1868)


Write a narrative account analysing the destruction of the buffalo herds by 1883. You may use the following in your answer:

Extermination of the southern herd (1874). The breakup of the Great Sioux reservation (1876).


Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which settlement in the West developed in the years 1876– 1895. You may use the following in your answer:

The Exoduster movement (1879) The Oklahoma Land Rush (1893)


Write a narrative account analysing the conflict between the Plains Indians and the US government in the years 1876–1890. You may use the following in your answer:

The Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876) The Ghost Dance (1890)


“EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE” QUESTIONS

Explain the following: The importance of the buffalo to the Plains Indians’ way of life (HT) warrior societies to Plains Indian life (HT) breeding and training horses to the way of life and means of

survival of the Plains Indians (HT) religion to the way of life of the Plains Indians (HT) the Gold Rush of 1849 was important for the development of the

West (PRG) the 1849 Gold Rush for problems of lawlessness in early towns and

settlements (PRG) the Oregon Trail for the early settlement of the West. (ET) the Indian Appropriations Act (1851) for the way of life of the Plains

Indians. (ET) (HT) the leadership of Brigham Young to the successful settlement of the

valley of the Great Salt Lake by the Mormons (HT) the development of new mining towns for law and order in the early

West. (ET) the rapid growth of mining settlements for government efforts to

bring law and order to the West (HT) the discovery of gold in California (1848) for the settlement of the

American West. (ET) the wagon trails for the early settlement of the West. (ET) the Homestead Act 1862 for the settlement of the West (HT) cowboys for the cattle industry (HT) the Homestead Act of 1862 for the settlement of the West (PRG) the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 for the settlement of the West.

(PRG) the railroads for changes in the way of life of the Plains Indians. (ET) cattle trails for the development of the cattle industry in the 1860s.

(ET) Joseph McCoy to the development of the cattle industry (HT) Abilene’s establishment as a cow town (1867) for the growth of the

cattle industry. (PRG) the opening of the First Transcontinental Railroad (1869) for the

settlement of the West. the Timber Culture Act of 1873 for the development of settlement in

the West. (PRG) President Grant’s ‘Peace Policy’ (1868) for changes in the way of

life of the Plains Indians (PRG) the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876) for government attitudes

towards the Plains Indians. (ET) the winter of 1886–87 for the cattle industry (HT) (SAM) the Dawes Act, 1887 for the way of life of the Plains Indians (HT)

(SAM) the Johnson County War (1892) for law and order in the West. (ET) the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1893 for settlement of the West. (ET) the strategy of total war for the US army’s defeat of the Plains

Indians (HT)

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