The American West, c.1835-c.1895

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Who were the first to move West?
Mountain men — 1820-30s
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When did the Mormons plan to leave Illinois?
Spring 1846
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When did the Mormons set off again after the Winter Quarters?
April 1847
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What the government encourage the Indians to do after the Indian Appropriations Act 1851?
To farm and build houses
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What did the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 state?
Defined territory for each tribe -> reduced inter-tribal conflict ○ Allow settlers across Plains ○ Allow government to build roads and forts ○ Tribes received $50,000 a year for 50 years
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Why was the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 unsuccessful?
Neither side kept to the treaty
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Why was there conflict between Unionists and Confederates before Civil War?
Couldn't agree whether new territories should be free or slave states
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What did the Timber Culture Act 1873 state?
○ Extra 160 acres of land if planted trees on 1/4 land
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What 5 factors pulled people to the West?
Gold - CA 1848 ○ Manifest Destiny ○ Government encouragement - 160 acres of free land if farmed 5 years ○ Land = fertile + cheap ○ New start
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What 3 factors pushed people out of the East?
Economic problems - recession 1837 ○ Disease ○ Overpopulation - cholera
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When was the Indian Removal Act passed?
1830 - President Andrew Jackson
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How many Eastern tribes were sent on the Plains?
By 1849, 70-100k
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Why was there conflict between both sides of the Permanent Indian Frontier?
Settlers crossed Plains to move West ○ People settled on eastern edges of Plains
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Who were the second type of people to move West?
Missionaries 1830s - convert Indians to Christianity
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What trails did parties of settlers use?
Oregon + California trail
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How long was journey to West?
5 months - 2000 miles
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When did the Donner Party move West?
1846
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How many of the Donner Party survive?
50/87 (cannibalism)
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Why did the Donner Party get into trouble?
Tried to take a shortcut through Sierra Nevada mountains but got trapped in deep snow
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How many people would die on their way to the West?
10%
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What 3 things made the journey difficult?
Rivers + mountains ○ Food + water shortages ○ Diseases (cholera) ○ Accidents
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Who were the Mormons?
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
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What was the Mormons' destination?
Salt Lake Valley - 1400 miles
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Why did the Mormons leave the East?
Religious persecution
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Who was the Mormon leader?
Brigham Young
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Why did Brigham Young want to go further West?
To create an independent state where Mormons could live freely
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What were the conditions like in Salt Lake Valley?
Dry and harsh
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Why did the Mormons decide to remain in Salt Lake Valley?
○ Place no one else wanted○ Part of Mexico
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Why did the Mormons leave Illinois earlier than planned?
Increase in anti-Mormon violence in February 1846
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Why was the Mormons' journey West particularly difficult?
Left earlier -> disorganised ○ Still winter + deep mud ○ Left supplies behind
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Where did Mormons go in 1846 when they couldn't complete their journey?
Created Winter Quarters by Missouri River
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How many Mormons died by Spring 1847?
400
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When did the Mormons reach Salt Lake Valley?
July 1847
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Why were the Mormons more organised after they left the Winter Quarters?
They were divided into groups led by captains
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When did the Great Plains become a possibility to settle on?
1850s
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When was the California Gold Rush?
1849
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Why did the settlers provoke the Plains Indians on their journeys?
Disrupted buffalo herds ○ Polluted water sources ○ Brought diseases
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What replaced the Permanent Indian Frontier?
The Reservation System
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What Act concentrated Plains Indians to reservations?
Indian Appropriations Act 1851
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What impact did the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 have?
Increase settlement in California + Oregon ○ Restricted Indians to reservations -> threatened lifestyle ○ Broken promises increased resentment
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Why was the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 significant?
Marked the end of the Permanent Indian Frontier - Indians couldn't live freely on Plains anymore
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What were the 9 causes for lawlessness?
The Californian Gold Rush ○ Gangs ○ Cow towns ○ Homesteaders vs cattle ranchers ○ Gun ○ Alcohol ○ Racial conflict ○ Absence of family ○ Poverty
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Why was policing difficult?
West = big area ○ Elected criminals ○ Work - dangerous, low pay, no training
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What were in American towns?
Brothels ○ Breweries ○ Gamble houses
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What did the population of American towns consist of?
Mostly white men and women
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Years of the American Civil War:
1861-65
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Who was the American Civil War between?
The Unionists (North) and the Confederates (South)
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How did the Southern states become the Cinfederate States of America
1860, southern states seceded America and formed new country
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What was the name of the period after the Civil War to try to unite America again?
Reconstruction 1865-77
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What did the Homestead Act 1862 state?
160 acres free land if farmed 5 years and ○ Open to everyone ○ Meant to discourage speculators and draw in settlers instead
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What did the Pacific Railroad Act 1862 state?
Government wanted to build railway (East to West) -> create national unity + migration easier ○ Approved construction of First Transcontinental Railroad
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When was the First Transcontinental Railway built?
1869
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What were the problems with homesteading?
Water shortage ○ Land disputes ○ Tough soil ○ Lack of wood ○ Isolation
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How did homesteaders fix these problems?
Water pumps from underground ○ Barbed Wire (1874) ○ "Sodbuster" James Oliver ○ Sod houses ○ Church groups
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Who controlled territories and towns?
Marshals
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Who controlled counties?
Sheriffs
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What 8 factors contributed to the growth of the cattle industry?
Demand for beef ○ US army ○ Native Americans ○ Homesteaders ○ John Iliff - cattle could survive winter on Plains ○ Charles Goodnight - solved Texas Fever (winter) ○ Joseph McCoy - Abilene 1867 ○ Railways - transported beef
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Why did the cattle industry end?
Less demand for beef ○ Cost of cattle on open ranges increased -> profits decreased ○ Ranches overcrowded -> competition for grazing ○ Winters of 1886 + 1887 killed cattle
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What were the 3 main Indian wars?
the Cheyenne Wars ○ Little Crow's War ○ Red Cloud's War
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When was Little Crow's War?
1862
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When were the Cheyenne Wars and Sand Creek Massacre?
1864
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When was Red Cloud's War and the Bozeman Trail?
1866-68
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What did the Fort Laramie Treaty 1868 state?
Great Sioux Reservation was created ○ Annuities (food + clothes) ○ Bozeman trail + forts were closed
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

When did the Mormons plan to leave Illinois?

Back

Spring 1846

Card 3

Front

When did the Mormons set off again after the Winter Quarters?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What the government encourage the Indians to do after the Indian Appropriations Act 1851?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 state?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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