the american west

• What new farming techniques were created

  Barbed wire, wind pumps, seed drills and ploughs
• How did wind pumps help improve in farming

  Wind pumps had improved significantly by the 1880's. Metal wind pumps had been developed that were able to reach water hundreds of meters underground, and they only needed oiling once a year.
• How did seed drills help improve farming

  Seed drills were developed which were able to automatically plant seeds at the correct depth
• How did these new technologies promote the West

  Farming became more efficient and boosted the economy as farmers began to purchase machines. By the 1890's the Great Plains had become a productive and fertile area of farming. Most homesteaders prospered.
• How did overstocking lead to the end of the Open Range

  Overstocked is when too many animals are living on one area of grass. All the grass gets eaten up too quickly, the soil erodes and animals begin to starve.

  -Many of the animals starved (losing mass= losing value) or dying.
• How did fall in demand lead to the end of the Open Range

  -Demand for beef was decreasing in the east. -There was so much beef available that shops had to reduce the prices of it for it to sell.

  -This meant cattle ranching was becoming less profitable.
• When was the 'Great Die Up'

  The winter of 1886-87
• How did the 'Great Die Up' lead to the end of the Open Range

  -The winter of 1886-87. An incredible winter with the temperature dropping to -55 degrees.

  -Deep snow meant that the cows couldn't reach the ground for grass, so 15% of cattle died

  -Ranchers tried to sell any remaining cattle they had and this made prices drop further
• What replaced the Open Range

  Smaller ranches
• Why were the Smaller ranges better than the Open Range

  -Easier for ranchers to keep an eye on their herds since they were in a confined space. Cattle could not wander off and could be fed and watered if necessary.

  -It was also easier to guard smaller herds from cattle rustling or attacks.

  -Transition to smaller ranches reduced the supply of beef. Beef prices rose and made cattle ranching profitable again
• Who and what is the KKK

  The KKK terrorised black Americans throughout the southern states and used intimidation to prevent black Americans form voting
• When was the Exoduster movement?

  1879
• What is sharecropping and how did it worsen black framers lives

  Sharecropping is when a landlord gives a tenant some land in return for a proportion of the crops they grow. Although black sharecroppers were freemen, this system kept black farmers working on white plantations for free.
• What is the Exoduster movement


  In 1879, more than 40 000 black Americans moved to Kansas, due to a rumor heard that the govt. was giving out free land to ex-slaves. It was in Exodus, the Bible, to the dusty West
• Why was the Exodusters disappointed

  -By 1880, 43 000 black Americans had settled meant that much of the good farmland was taken. Many Exodusters were left with difficult farming land and struggled to survive.

  -Many Exodusters had also become ill on the journey to Kansas, as they had travelled through areas infected with yellow fever.
• How did the Kansas government tried to help

  -They assisted the migrants by giving them a small amount of state funding to help them begin their lives in Kansas.

  -However, spread reached back south and by the 1880's the amount of new migrants began to decline
• Why didn't the White Americans support the govt.’s help

  They believed it was wrong of the government to help the migrants
• Why did the US govt. want the middle section of the Indian territory

  -No tribe officially owned it

  -White settlers had been attempting to settle here since the beginning of the 1880s as it had fertile land
• When was the Oklahoma Land Rush


  April 22, 1889
• What was the Oklahoma Land Rush


  -In 1889 the US government decided to allow white settlers onto this middle section of land to file homestead claims.

  -There were a total of seven land rushes in 1893 and, by the end of the year, Oklahoma had a population of 60,000.
• When was the Lincoln County War

  1878
• What was the cause of the Lincoln County war

  -The war was a conflict between a cattle baron called John Chisum, and a rancher called Murphy.

  -They were arguing over land and influence in New Mexico.

  -Billy claimed he was going to kill everyone who was responsible for the death of a friend
• What was the consequences of the Lincoln County war

  -Billy was shot dead by Sheriff Garrett after going on the run

  -The actions of Billy the Kid demonstrate the continuing existence of lawlessness

  -The justice system was too weak too deal with Billy the Kid
• When was the Johnson County War


  1892
• What were the causes of the Johnson County War

  Problems in cattle ranching and the growing number of homesteaders and small ranchers settling in Wyoming leading to disputes over landownership
• What was the narrative of events during the Johnson County War?

  Averill and Watson were lynched for calling cattle barons land grabbers. Other murder attempts occurred, the cattle barons tried to cut off telegraph wires, attacks were held off by Nate Champion until he was burned out of his cabin. Nate eventually died along with Nick Ray, and others were wounded.
• What were the results of the Johnson County War?

  Invaders were brought to trial but never convicted. Even though they weren't charged, they lost huge amounts of influence and respect.
• Why weren't the Cattle barons and WSAG convicted

  -Juries in Cheyenne were far more sympathetic to cattle ranchers than in Johnson County

  -Johnson County didn't have much money. So the prosecutors couldn't afford to continue
• When was the Battle of Little Bighorn


  June 25, 1876
• What were the causes of the Battle of Little Bighorn

  -The US govt. were protecting the workers from NAs' attacks but Commander Custer began to mine gold in the Black Hills#

  -More gold prospectors travelled to the Black Hills and settled in the Dakota Sioux land

  -Breaking the Fort Laramie Treaty
• The events of the Battle of Little Bighorn

  -US govt. offered to buy the Black Hills from the Sioux at $6mn

  -Sioux rejected this offer and continued to attack prospectors trespassing on their land

  -By the spring of 1876, 7 000 Sioux were settled outside of the valley of Little Bighorn

  -Reckless orders led to Custer 200 men into the valley and Crazy Horse's men killed all 200 of them
• What were the consequences of the Battle of Little Bighorn

  -Ruined the public opinion of the NAs from the Americans

  -The govt. used the battle as an excuse to ignore the previous treaties

  -The Sioux had to give up the Black Hills as the govt. refused to give them food or supplies until they did so

  -Sioux's weapons and horses were seized and soldiers patrolled the reservations
• When was the Wounded Knee Massacre


  December 29, 1890
• what was the cause of the Wounded Knee Massacre

  a vision from the NA Wovoka, claiming that if the NAs danced the ghost dance, the whites would disappear and the Indians would once again own the Great Plains
• What happened during the Wounded Knee Massacre

  -the ghost dance spread across the NAs' reservations

  -the US govt. tried to ban it, but the NAs refused

  -The police attempted to arrest Sitting Bull, believing he was trying to start a rebellion, and shot him dead. Sitting Bull's followers fled to join the band of the leader, Big Foot
• What calvary started the Wounded Knee Massacre

  The 7th
• What happened when the US army caught up to Big Foot's band

  -the US govt. forced Big Foot's followers into wounded Knee Creek and kept under guard

  - 29th of December 1890, the US 7th Calvary were sent in to disarm the Sioux.

  -One Sioux resisted, and others began to dance.

  -The 7th Cavalry opened fire.

  -Within minutes 146 Indians and 25 US soldiers were dead, including 7 Indian babies.
• In the years 1840 and 1890, how many buffalo was left (estimated)

  1840- 35 million buffalo on the plains

  1890- 1000 buffalo on the plains
• What are the economic reasons for the extermination of the bufflo

  -In 1871, a process to turn buffalo skin into leather suitable for US industrial machines was discovered

  -The railroads made it easy to transport buffalo skins back to the city to sell.
• What was the policy the US govt. created

  'Assimilate or Die