The Last West American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier....
Transcript of The Last West American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier....
The Last West
American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier. This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character. The true point of view in the history of this nation is not the Atlantic coast, it is the Great West.
-- Frederick Jackson Turner, 1893
Westward Expansion
Miners
Farmers
Ranchers
Native Americans
Promontory Point, UT 1869Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental Railroad
Views of Duluth, 1870-1905
Railroad in Yosemite
Hitting the Trail
Westward Expansion
Miners
Farmers
Ranchers
Native Americans
Homestead Act of 1862Large numbers of new farmers (freedmen, immigrants)Technology changesTransportation changesRough Life (weather, economics, declining status)
Homestead Act 1862 – cheap land and sod homes, but a lonely life.
Population in Midwest increased from 300,000 in 1860 to 5 million in 1900
Tools of Pioneer Life
Sod Farmers
Settler in North Dakota
Westward Expansion
Miners
Farmers
Ranchers
Native Americans
Homestead Act of 1862Large numbers of new farmers (freedmen, immigrants)Technology changesTransportation changesRough Life (weather, economics, declining status)
Sutter’s Mill, 1848Gold Rush FeverMining TownsItinerant Population“Wild West”
The Black Hills
Settlers in the West
Westward Expansion
Miners
Farmers
Ranchers
Native Americans
Homestead Act of 1862Large numbers of new farmers (freedmen, immigrants)Technology changesTransportation changesRough Life (weather, economics, declining status)
Sutter’s Mill, 1848Gold Rush FeverMining TownsItinerant Population“Wild West”
Needed large tracts of grasslandThe Cattle KingdomOpen Range vs. Fencing
Westward Expansion
Miners
Farmers
Ranchers
Native Americans
Homestead Act of 1862Large numbers of new farmers (freedmen, immigrants)Technology changesTransportation changesRough Life (weather, economics, declining status)
Sutter’s Mill, 1848Gold Rush FeverMining TownsItinerant Population“Wild West”
Needed large tracts of grasslandThe Cattle KingdomOpen Range vs. Fencing
View of land ownershipNomadic lifestyleConflict with railroadsSlaughter of buffaloPlains Wars
Native Americans in the Rockies
Chief Sitting Bull
Won at Little Big Horn, but victory didn’t last long.
Comanche...the only U.S. Army survivor from the Battle of Little Big Horn
Drawing of the battle by Red Horse
Wounded Knee, South Dakota 1890
By 1900, the Indian population had fallen to 250,000…resistance was over.
Solving the Indian problem
• Humanitarian cause
• Dawes Severality Act
• Assimilation of Native Americans– Settled– Agricultural– Christian
American Horse with children and relatives during an 1882 visit to
the Carlisle Indian School.
Cheyenne woman named Woxie Haury in ceremonial dress, and, in wedding
portrait with husband.
Problems with the Dawes Act and the desire for even more land.
Oklahoma Land Rush 1889
Visualizing Westward Expansion
• Choose one of the groups in the western United States.– Farmer, Miner, Rancher, Native American
• Draw a picture showing how that group would have viewed the West in the late 1800s.
• You should:– Be creative, colorful, accurate, and as detailed as possible.– Consider point of view: would your group see the West in a
positive or negative way? What features of the landscape (natural or manmade) would they emphasize?
• Coming up…– We will be hanging up and sharing the posters– You will be asked to write about the similarities and differences in
how these groups viewed their world.
• Grade: 20 points– Your grade will be based on: content information (10), creativity
(5), and clarity in communicating your idea (5)
“Dances with Wolves” Activity
• Watch selected clips from movie.• Write a 1-2 page essay evaluating how well the movie
portrayed the points of view among different groups in the West.
• Use the clips from the movie, the poster activity, and the class discussion as your supporting evidence.
• Develop a thesis, and be sure to use details to support it.• Grade: 25 points
– You grade will be based on: strong thesis statement (5); detailed and accurate supporting evidence (10); clear conclusion (5); technical accuracy, i.e.spelling, grammar (5)
– Be sure to use specific evidence – do not just write how you feel.