Continuing Conflict

• What did the development of the West produce?


  Conflicts and tensions between people as they struggled to make a living. Billy the Kid and Wyatt Earp are both good examples of how these tensions affected lawlessness and attempts to enforce law and order but the general trend in the West was that law and order was getting more under control
• What is the brief history of Billy the Kid?

  He grew up in poverty and was soon in trouble for stealing, in 1878 he became involved in a range war (Lincoln County War) between cattle baron John Chisum and smaller ranchers and Billy swore revenge when friends were killed, Billy's gang caused chaos across New Mexico- local law officers were also caught up in the range war, only when a new governor appointed a new sheriff (Pat Garrett) could the law be enforced, after escaping jail Billy was tracked down and shot dead by Garrett in 1881
• Billy the Kid


  Conflict over resources- Billy was involved in a war between ranchers, intimidation and corruption- local law enforcement was weak and caught up in the range war too, geography- Billy's gang could easily escape the law and hide in remote areas, poverty- life for most people was hard, being an outlaw was glamorous and exciting
• What is a very brief history of Wyatt Earp 1880?


  Earp first got into law enforcement after he was arrested for fighting in Wichita and then helped the deputy marshal deal with a rowdy bunch of cowboys, by 1879 he had moved to the mining town of Tombstone where rich businessmen were fighting for control of the area with ranchers and cowboys led by Clantons and McLaurys, in 1880 the businessmen hired Earp as deputy sheriff to end the fight in their favour
• What happened with Wyatt Earp 26 October 1881?

  26 Oct 1881 - after months of clashes with the Clantons and McLaurys Earp and his brother killed 2 McLaurys and 1 Clanton at the OK Corral, cowboys then killed Morgan Earp and Wyatt Earp immediately killed 2 men who he said were responsible, public opinion in town turned against the Earps who were considered murderers with no respect for the law, they left Tombstone in 1882
• Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral


  Conflict over resources- Wyatt Earp and his brothers were involved in a war between businessmen and ranchers, intimidation and corruption- Earp and his brothers were accused of criminal acts (involvement in stagecoach robberies) and of murder- instead of reducing crime i Tombstone they increased it, law and order- the gunfight at the OK Corral was criticised as lawlessness and Tombstone residents thought Wyatt should have arrested the suspects, unreliable lawmen- Earp was arrested 9 times, law officers often had criminal pasts
• What was the Johnson County War?

  A conflict of cattle barons against homesteaders and small ranchers
• What was the background to the Johnson County War?

  The growth of the cattle industry in Wyoming, the impact of the winter of 1886-87, tensions between big and small ranchers, the killing of Ella Watson and Jim Averill
• The growth of the cattle industry in Wyoming


  Only 9000 US citizens lived in Wyoming Territory in the early 1870s, most of the land was public, huge cattle ranches developed backed by foreign investment, a few very rich men owned the cattle ranches and they controlled Wyoming
• The impact of the winter 1886-87

  The harsh winter caused terrible losses to the open ranch herds in Wyoming, the power and influence of the big ranch owners was shaken and some went bankrupt, smaller ranches did better as they could rescue more of the cattle, the big ranchers believed the smaller ranchers stole cattle from them
• Tensions between small ranchers and big ranchers


  The population of Wyoming increased as more homesteaders and small ranchers moved there, by 1884, 10,000 acres had been homesteaded and their barbed wire fences were a problem for the big ranches, the newcomers disliked the way the big ranchers would not share political power, in Johnson County juries never convicted people accused of rustling big ranch cattle
• The killing of Ella Watson and Jim Averill


  Watson and Averill were homesteaders, their 640 acre claim was to public land that rancher Albert Bothwell used for his cattle, Averill wrote rude letters about Bothwell to the local newspaper, Watson obtained a small herd of cows, Bothwell accused of her of rustling his cows, Bothwell and his men hanged Watson and Averill and soon after took back the land
• What led to the beginning of the Johnson County War 1892?

  As a result of the killing of Ella Watson and Jim Averill and 3 more murders, the small ranchers announced they would hold a spring round up of cattle earlier than the round up by the WSGA (Wyoming Stock Growers Association), WSGA members were sure the small ranchers would use this round up to steal more cattle from them
• What was the invasion Johnson County War 1892?

  The WSGA hired 22 gunmen from Texas to 'invade' Johnson County and kill 70 suspected rustlers, they raised $100,000 and most of it would be used to pay for legal costs after the invasion. The invasion failed and the 'invaders' got held up in a shoot-out with Nate Champion, word reached Sheriff Angus of Johnson County and residents of the county's main town Buffalo. The invaders were surrounded and arrested
• What were the consequences of the Johnson County War 1892?

  The WSGA's $100,000 was used to hire the best Chicago lawyers, the lawyers got the trial moved to Cheyenne where juries favoured the WSGA, the WSGA lawyers delayed the trial until Johnson County could no longer afford to keep the prisoners in jail, the state government (full of WSGA supporters) refused to help with the costs of the trial so the 'invaders' were set free
• Why was it significant that the invaders were arrested Johnson County War 1892?

  Although the invaders were set free it is significant that vigilantism was so strongly resisted in Johnson County
• What was a turning point in the history of the American West?

  1876 because of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. In this battle the combined forces of the Sioux nation defeated the US army. The shock of this defeat transformed US policy towards the Native Americans
• What was Custer's role in the Battle of the Little Big Horn 1876?

  Some blame Custer for the army's defeat at the Battle of the Little Big Horn because he should have waited for back-up (but if the Native Americans had spotted them then he might have had no choice but to attack), he only had 600 men and split them up to attack which meant that they were heavily outnumbered and easily overcome
• What were the consequences of the Battle of the Little Big Horn 1876?


  The massacre of General Custer and his men shocked and appalled most white Americans. Beforehand public opinion favoured trying to reach agreements with the Native Americans, afterwards white people wanted to destroy the Native Americans and their way of life
• What were the key events leading to the Great Sioux War?


  In the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty the Sioux were given a large reservation in South Dakota and could roam freely in the Black Hills which were sacred for the Cheyenne, Arapaho and Sioux, whites were not allowed to settle there or prospect for gold, as the Northern Pacific Railroad got closer to Sioux land General George Custer led cavalrymen to protect the railroad and look for gold and he found it
• What happened after General Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills?


  Prospectors staked their claims to the land, the US government offered the Sioux $6 million for the Black Hills or $400,000 a year for the mineral rights, they refused both offers and many bands left the Sioux reservation. Dec 1875- the Sioux were given 60 days to return to their reservation or they would be attacked, there was deep snow and it was impossible to travel. By spring over 7000 Indians were ready for war
• What happened after the Indians began preparing for war (Battle of the Little Big Horn 1876)?


  17 June 1876- Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and their people defeated General Crook at the Rosebud River and then travelled west towards Little Big Horn River, 25 June 1876- Custer attacked the Indian camp at Little Big Horn and they were badly defeated- 225 men died and many were stripped, disfigured and scalped
• Was the Battle of the Little Big Horn a success or failure?


  In the short term the Battle of the Little Big Horn was a huge failure for the US army. However because of the way that they were defeated some historians argue that it was a long term success as responses to it led to the Indian's eventual defeat
• What were the responses to the Battle of the Little Big Horn?


  2 forts were built and 2500 army reinforcement sent west, the pursuit of the Cheyenne and Sioux until most were in their reservations, the capture of Crazy Horse who was later killed when trying to escape, Sitting Bull moving his tribes to Canada but food shortages forced his return and surrender in 1881, the Sioux being forced to sell the Black Hills and other land, give up their weapons and horses and live under military rule. All of these reasons led to the eventual defeat of the Indians