History paper 2 - American West

• Plain Indians were split into tribes. Some tribes were so large they were called a nation. The Sioux was the largest nation made up of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota tribes.
• Chiefs were leaders of Plains Indian society; they were always men. They had one main chief but many other chiefs who fulfilled different roles e.g. war chief.
• Band chiefs and elders made up the tribe’s council.
• A tribe is a group that made up the people known as the Plains Indian. Some of the tribes would fight on sight and some were allies
• Bands made up a tribe; there could be several hundred or just 20 or 30 people. In order to survive bands had to work together.
• Comanche tribe: bands come together and moved between bands
• Dawnee tribe : each band had a different village
• Nation -> tribe ->sub-tribe -> band
• Warrior brotherhood was a subgroup inside of a band; they were trained for battle and taught beliefs and values. They were the toughest warriors of the tribe. Brotherhoods were not under the command of the council, this meant that they may not respect peace treaties.
• There were several different brotherhoods and you could join a warrior brotherhood after proving yourself in battle.
• Women were responsible for feeding and clothing the family and processing buffalo hide.
• Women could not be chiefs and successful men could have multiple wives.
• Nomad: someone that travels from one place to another and has no permanent home
• Uses of Buffalo parts:

  • Tongue - hair brushes
  • Fur - blankets, mittens and cover
  • Hair - string and saddles
  • Hooves -glue, tools
  • Bones - knives
  • Bladder - food bags
  • Fat - soap
  • Dung - fuel
  • Raw hide - bags, harnesses and shields
  • Tanned hide - robes, tipi covers and bags

  
• Why were horses important to the Plain Indians?

  • used to protect their land
  • in battle against white settlers
  • helped to hunt
  • moving around (nomadic) helped avoid disease
• How did the buffalo help Plain Indians survive on the Great Plains?

  • Made food, clothes and shelter
  • used for tools, rituals and weapons
  • 2 or 3 buffalo hunts a year were all that was needed

  This helped survive because

  • no other food source, using every part of the buffalo to survive
  • provided everything to survive & continue nomadic lifestyle
  • Provided equipment needed to carry food & water, they had to be carried or there would be none
• How did wooden lodges help Plain Indians survive?

  • wooden lodges were circular; made up of earth and timber logs
  • Built in sheltered valleys
  • around 60 people in each lodge

  This helped them survive because

  • Helped protect against harsh, cold winters
  • helped avoid attacks
• How did nomadic lifestyle help Plain Indians survive ?

  • Tipis made from buffalo hide

  This helped them survive because

  • Could be taken down and packed up in 10 minutes
  • made it easy to travel around
  • helped avoid disease
  • allows them to follow buffalo
• Plain Indians saw land as sacred. For the Lakota Sioux, the Papa Sapa (Black Hills of South Dakota) were the most sacred of all.
• Plain Indian tribes farmed land as well as living by hunting, fishing and gathering wild plant resources.
• For Plain Indians, no one owned land and treaties were used to share land. Land was not bought nor sold so they had hunting areas they used together.
• Farming / mining was seen as disrespectful to the land to some Plain Indians.
• Plains Indians raided each other for food, horses, weapons and people ( women to marry and children to bring up in their tribes ).
• Three ways developed to minimise young men being killed:

  • raid would only go ahead if it worked, raiders would escape as quickly as they could
  • only selected brotherhoods would be chosen to go on raids
  • ’Counting Coup’ - special type of fighting in which a warrior attempted to hit or touch (rather than kill) an enemy and get away without being injured

  They developed these ways as young men were very valuable.
• Manifest Destiny: the idea that the USA is destined by God to expand into the whole of North America, spreading their way of life.
• What year did the American Government pass the Indian Removal Act?

  1830
• What was the ’Trail of Tears'?

  • Over 46,000 Plains Indians living in the east of America were forced off their sacred land and moved west of the Mississippi River into land which was then named the Indian territory.
  • It could take up to 4 months to walk the 800 miles.
  • They were promised to never move again
  • More than 4,000 Indians died on the journey from disease or hunger.
  • 25 million acres of rich farmland was now freed up for white settlers
• The Indian Appropriations Act was passed in 1851 to address the demand for land in the American West and prevent mixing between Plains Indians and White Americans.
• The act provided funding for Plains Indians in the Indian Territory to be placed into reservations, which were managed by the US government.
• The reservations included hunting lands for the Plains Indians to continue their traditional hunting practices, but it significantly restricted their nomadic lifestyle.
• By restricting the Plains Indians using the Indian Appropriations Act, it was hoped by the American government that plains Indians would want to give up their land, take up farming and live just like white American people.
• Traders and fur-trappers passed back news of rich farming land west of the Rocky Mountains and in California.
• The success of the first migrants to travel the Oregon trail in 1836 established it as a route for many people.
• The number of migrants on the Oregon trail increased significantly, with 60 people in 1841, 100 people in 1842, and 900 people in 1843 (Great Emigration).
• The pre-emption Act of 1841 allowed people in Oregon to buy the land they were living and farming on for $1.25, but the government could take it back if it remained unused for 6 months.
• The discovery of gold in California in 1848 and in the Rocky Mountains in 1858-59 attracted people to rush there in search of fortune.
• In 1837, there was an economic crisis in the East and South of the USA, which lasted until the mid 1840s. Many banks collapsed, people lost their savings, businesses failed, and thousands of people lost their jobs. In some areas, unemployment was as high as 25%, and those who still had jobs often faced wage cuts of up to 40%. This gave people good reason to want to start a new life in the West.
• How did me Gold Rush encourage Migrarion?

  • Gold descevered in sacremento Valley in 1848
  • People moved and set up trains -> increased the population of California.
  • Chinese and South Americans settles faced racism
  • Native Americans forced out by 1890 - $200 for every Native American -> led to crime ->no law enforcement
  • improvements in technology -> increased movement e.g. ships & trains

  Population before before 1848 was 1000

  • in 1848 - 100,000, in 1900 - 380,000
  • 300,000 moved in 1849 - known as (‘49-ers')
• How did the Donner Party start their journey?

  • The trail started in Independence, Missouri
  • The wagon train moved around 20 at a time.
  • Everyone had different skills.
  • They stocked up for the journey ahead.
  • It was safest to travel in large groups as people had different skills. e.g. carpenter to repair damage to fishermen and hunters for the food & medical skills
• What were some of the initial problems the Donner Party faced?

  First test was the weather in the Great Plains due to sandstorms, quick storms and rain.

  Extremes temperature in the day and night.

  Rain made it difficult to start fires.

  They ran out of food which made them weak.

  Problems with stampeding buffalo and Plain Indians attacking

  Migrants were advised not to journey before April to allow she snow to thaw.