Cowboys and Indians

The Settling of the West

First large-scale white settlements: mining camps

Boomtowns and mining corporations followed

The Settling of the West

Next wave: cattle ranchers

Large scale cattle operations made possible by trains, refrigerated cars

The Mythical West

OK CORRAL

DODGE CITY, KS

WYATT EARPJESSE JAMES

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show

Rodeo and western circus

Settling of the West1862 Homestead Act – 160 acres of free land

given to farmers

Thousands move west; new agricultural techniques allow for more production

The End of the Indian CultureCauses:

Technology advances

The End of the Indian CultureCauses:

Reservation system, run by corrupt US Dept. of the Interior

The End of the Indian Culture

Causes:

the near extermination of the buffalo

Major Indian Battles

Sand Creek, CO – 1864

US Army massacres Cheyenne, incites Plains Indians to retaliate against settlers

Col. John Chivington

Major Indian Battles

Ranald Mackenzie vs. the Comanches

Palo Duro Canyon

1874

Little Big Horn

Caused by gold hunters entering Black Hills of South Dakota, violating Indian treaties.

Combined Indian army, led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, left reservation and began attacks

Little Big Horn US Army sent to force Indian return

led by George Custer

Sitting Bull

Little Big Horn

June 25th, 1876 – Little Big Horn River, MT Custer and entire command wiped out

Shocked the country; renewed push to eliminate Indian threat in the West

Last Defeat of the Indian

Geronimo and the Apaches, 1882

Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, 1883

Wounded Knee, 1890Last Indian Battle

The “Ghost Dance” – religious ritual performed by Sioux Indians; would bring back spirits of dead Indians to reclaim the land and defeat the whites

Wounded Knee, December 1890

Sioux leave the reservation when forced to give up ritual

US Army massacres over 300 Sioux, force the rest to return

Attempts to Assimilate the

Indians

Educational efforts

Attempts to Assimilate the Indians

1887 – the Dawes Act: 160 acres given to every head of Indian household, with equipment for farming

Failed policy; most land stolen from or sold by Indians by 1895

The Closing of the WestFrederick Jackson Turner and

“The Significance of the Frontier in American History” (1893): there is no longer a frontier in the West, thus American expansion has filled up the continent

The “safety valve theory”: the West offered a second chance to millions, thus relieving social and political pressures in the cities

"The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development."

The Closing of the WestImpact of the “closing” of the

West”:

land more expensive; more immigrants stay in cities, ex-farmers move to cities

expansion moves overseas (i.e. American “imperialism”)

1889 – Oklahoma Land Rush

The FarmersProblems of the farmer:#1 enemy – the railroads

and “pools”; higher rates than for other customers

Real problem: overproduction, leading to lower prices

Also higher prices caused by the tariff and the trusts

JayGould

The Issue Over Money“Hard” money (specie) vs. “Soft” money (issued

by the government) – farmers wanted to increase money supply to cause inflation

Higher prices makes it easier to pay debts

The Issue Over MoneyInflation causes farm prices

to rise; deflation causes a fall; money supply based on amount of gold in economy

More money in the economy causes inflation

Proposed solution: add silver to the economy to increase money supply

First proposed by William “Coin” Harvey

The Farmers Unite

Formation of the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry

"We propose meeting together, talking together, working together, buying together, selling together, and, in general, acting together for our mutual

protection and advancement, as occasion may require."-- 1874 Declaration of Purposes of the National Grange

Oliver Kelley

Original purpose: social and educational events; soon began political activity, focusing on the money supply and the railroads

The Farmers UniteThe Grange emerges as

political force in the MidwestThe Greenback-Labor Party:

first party that represented labor in elections

Candidate James B. Weaver

“Granger Laws”The “Granger States” – farmers take over state

governments in the Midwest in the 1880s

i.e. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota

Targeted railroads for rate controls

Thrown out by Supreme Court in Wabash v. Illinois

The Beginning of the People’s (Populist) Party

Wabash case destroys the Grange, replaced by the Farmers’ Alliances

Foundation of the People’s Party, called by most the Populist Party