history

• The Plains Indians adapted their way of life to suit the harsh landscape of the Great Plains over many years. Whilst American settlers tried to bring methods of farming from the East which failed, the Indians lived a nomadic lifestyle which was better suited to the environment of the Plains.
• The Indians worked with the land and the resources that were naturally found on the Great Plains. They were very resourceful. The Plains Indians found a use for almost every part of the buffalo after they killed them. Even the buffalo tongue didn't go to waste as it could be used as a hairbrush.
• The Oregon Trail was a 2,000 mile route cutting right across the Great Plain. It went from the East Coast of America to the West Coast of America.
• 1. year recession triggered by collapse of some American banks


  1837
• Unemployment in cities rose and people were forced to look for opportunities outside cities
• US government published a map for migrants showing people how to follow the Oregon Trail and where to go


  1841
• The 'Great Migration' - 1,000 people leaving Oregon and heading towards Missouri


  1843
• Religious persecution also encouraged the migration west
• Mormon Church


  Founded by Joseph Smith in 1830
• Joseph Smith killed by an angry mob in Illinois


  1844
• 2 years later, all Mormons were banned from Illinois (in the middle of the USA)
• The Oregon Trail


  Migration events
• The Gold Rush

  • The Gold Rush encouraged the migration westwards.
  • The Gold Rush began in the state of California (on the West coast of America) in 1848. But Gold was then discovered in the Rocky Mountains (to the East of the Great Plains) and in the Black Hills, which were sacred to the Sioux Indian tribe.
  • The Gold Rush encouraged Americans to move to California, the Rocky Mountains, and an Indian tribe's sacred home.
• California applied to join the United States of America as its 31st state


  1849
• Californian population had risen to 380,000 people


  1859
• Panning for gold


  Picking up stones from the river, sieving out rocks and looking for gold
• Professional gold mining


  Digging for gold in the ground using mining equipment
• Gold rushers


  Killed lots of the Plains Indians living in California in disputes over land and other things
• 1846

  The Governor of Illinois expels Mormons.
• 1837

  A financial crisis causes unemployment to rise.
• One consequence of the development of cattle ranching on the Plains was the emergence of cattle barons. These were rich investors who bought up huge numbers of cattle and enormous areas land on the Plains. This was because the cattle industry was very profitable, and the cattle barons were able to dominate the cattle industry as they had more money available to start up their ranches. Their wealth also meant that they were able to dominate local politics too, which meant that they could make sure their own interests were protected even further.
• One consequence of the railroads for cattle ranching was that the railroads made it possible to move large numbers of cattle longer distances, and so cattle ranchers had access to new markets and therefore more profits. For example, in 1867 Joseph McCoy drove his cattle from Texas to Abilene, Kansas where there was a railroad branch line that connected to Chicago. 3 million cattle were transported north on the railroad from Abilene in the next five years, making McCoy incredibly rich.
• Exoduster Movement


  Migration of 40,000 ex-slaves to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana by 1879
• Exoduster Movement


  Increased racism towards black Americans in states like Kansas
• Motivation for Exoduster Movement


  • Rumour that the US government was giving out land all over Kansas for ex-slaves to settle on
  • Promise of free land from the Homestead Act
  • Idea promoted by Benjamin Singleton since 1873
• Towns populated by black Americans


  • Nicodemus
• Establishment of towns populated by black Americans


  Led to racism as white settlers thought black Americans were being given preferential treatment by the government
• The government had to send supplies to help the Exodusters whose farms were failing
• One consequence of the Johnson County War was that it demonstrated that vigilante justice was becoming less acceptable as a method of law enforcement. In 1892, rich cattle barons accused smaller ranchers and homesteaders of cattle rustling, and the dispute led to the cattle barons hiring Texan hitmen to invade Johnson County, planning to kill 70 men. However, the citizens of Buffalo and Johnson Country’s Sheriff Angus besieged the invaders in the TA Ranch, which showed that public opinion had turned against vigilante justice.
• One consequence of westward expansion in the 1850s for farming was the creation of the new US territories of Nebraska and Kansas on the Great Plains. Due to the success of farms in California and Oregon, more migrants were travelling West to set up their own farms. The US government wanted to encourage this in order to expand its territory, and so encouraged migrants to settle on the Great Plains to set up farms there. As a result, thousands of migrants started farming the Great Plains.
• One consequence of President Grant’s Peace Policy was it changed how the Plains Tribes were seen by the US government. They were no longer seen as independent powers that could be negotiated with, but as ‘ignorant wards’ who needed to be protected by the government, who would make all the decisions for them. As a result, more funding was put into the reservations to make sure the tribes were well looked after, but those who refused to move to the reservations would be punished.