American west GCSE

Created by

Zainab Islam

Cards (46)

What were the structure of bands?
Led by chiefs and had councils of advisors. The survival of the band was more important than the individuals.
What were the roles of chiefs?
Decided where the band went and decided on punishments for those who broke tradition. They were chosen by their wisdom and hunting/warrior skills.
How are tribes structured?
Bands in the same tribe met up annually in tribal meetings where bands traded horses and arranged marriages.
What were warrior societies?
the best warriors from each band formed the warrior society. The band's council always consults the warrior society before short raids and wars.
How were decisions made in tribes?
Everyone in the council had to agree. Decisions were often made through spirits and visions. The rest of the band didn't have to obey.
What were the roles of men, women and the elderly?
Men (braves) hunted and protected the tribe. Women (squaws) made clothing and looked after the tipi. Elderly were respected for their wisdom but were left behind if they were weak. Everyone in the tribe was responsible for raising the children.
Use of buffalo
Tipis, clothing, food, equipment. Heart left there as it was believed to give new life. Buffalo was known as a symbol of good luck
Uses of horses
Used to travel fast. Used in war. Used as a symbol of status, more horses = higher status.
Why were Plains Indians nomadic
They followed the migration patterns of buffalo as they were their source of nutrition
Beliefs about nature
Everything in nature had a spirit. Humans should work with spirits instead of controlling them. They'd be able to contact spirits through visions and dances.
Beliefs about land and property
Plains Indians had sacred areas. The Sioux believed the black hills were sacred because that was where tribe was believed to have started. Plains Indians didn't believe in land ownership, land couldn't be bought.
Attitudes to war
Society was always full of conflict. Plains indians would rather flee than fight.
1830 Indian Removal Act 
US Govt pushed 46000 Plains Indians onto reservation onto the west of the Mississipi river so white settlers could move west
1851 Indian Appropriations Act 
Plains Indians further pushed onto reservations, schools set up to "civilise" plains indians. Plains indians given money to give up land that White settlers want.
Pull factors for moving west 
Gold Rush 1849, Manifest Destiny, Govt encouragement, Oregon Trail, free land, mountain men
Push factors for moving west 
Economic crisis, unemployment, overcrowding
Events of the gold rush
- Foreign miners travelled to California to mine for Gold (1850s)
- Increase in population - 300000 by 1855
- Increase in racial tensions
- Genocide of Plains Indians
- Problems of lawlessness
Reasons for Mormon persecution
- Religion became too popular
- believed to have caused the economic depression
- Anti - slavery
- Pro - Indian
- Polygamous
Why did the mormons move to Utah - Great Salt Lake 
- They became illegal in the US
- Their founder, Joseph Smith was killed
- Escape persecution
Problems of farming on the Plains
- Lack of trees - lack of wood
- Infertile land - can't grow crops
- Lack of rainfall - can't grow crops
- Extreme weather conditions
Homestead solutions to problems of farming on the plains
- People build sod houses - housed made of earth and dirt
- Dry farming to water crops
- Barbed wire to stop open range farms
The fort laramie treaty 1851
- 50000 annual subsidy
- white settlers can settle on reservations
- Plains Indians become dependent of US govt for food and resources
- Railroad surveyors and military posts on Indian territory
Consequences of fort laramie treaty
- Loss of Indian independence
- White settlement on Plains
- Indians further pushed onto reservations
Cause of lawlessness
Mass immigration
Racial tensions
Isolation - no communication so lack of police
What were vigilantes
citizens that punished law breakers without the police force
What did deputy marshals do
They were assigned to specific counties
What did town marshals do
They dealt with the local outbreaks of lawlessness such as fights and brawls
Homestead act 1962 
White settlers, ex-slaves and ex-veterans could claim 160 acres of land to live and farm on
Timber Culture act 1972 
Homesteaders could claims a further 160 acres of land to make up for the infertile land and lack of wood
Railroad act 1862 
Gave union pacific and central pacific railroad companies land grants and money to build the railroad
How did railraods promote settlement
- Families could easily move west
- Enable troops to control indian uprisings
How did railroads affect the plains indians
disrupted buffalo migration patterns so plains indians couldn't hunt buffalo.
Migration west led to indians being pushed further onto reservations
Where was the first cow town
Abilene in Kansas
How many cows did McCoy move to Abilene
30000
What did Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving do?
They realised the difference in prices in cattle from $5 in Texas to $15 in New Mexico. They expanded their cattle trail from Texas to Cheyenne in Wyoming,
What were the roles of cowboys
- Round up cattle and drive them to different places
- Brand new cattle in the spring
- Killed predators and stopped other ranchers from stealing
What was the problem with open range?
Homesteader's crops were eaten by Rancher's cattle
What happened due to the 1863 Gold Rush in Montana
Whites use Bozeman trail on sioux land
Red cloud's war
1868 fort laramie treaty
Terms of the 1868 Grant's Peace Policy
$2 million dollars to improve conditions of reservations
new reservation agents with strong christian beliefs
Cause of Little Crow's War
In 1861 Little Crow and his tribe of Santee Sioux were living on a reservation and the crop failed. The compensation they were promised did not arrive leaving 12,000 Sioux facing starvation