American West

• The Plains Indians

  • Social and tribal structures
  • Survival on the Plains
  • Beliefs
  • US government policy
  • Westward migration
  • Conflict and tension
  • Settlement in the west
  • The cattle industry
  • Changes for Plains Indians
  • Changing times
  • Continuing conflict
  • A way of life ends
  • Exam skills
• Plains Indians


  The American Indians (sometimes called Native Americans) who lived on the Great Plains
• Bands


  • Led by chiefs and had councils of advisers that agreed everything the band did
  • The survival and protection of the band as a whole was more important than its individuals
• Chiefs


  • Chosen for their wisdom and skills as hunters and warriors
  • They did not have to be obeyed
• Tribes

  • Bands in the same tribe supported each other
  • Tribal meetings were held each year to arrange marriages, trade horses and discuss issues
  • Chiefs and elders formed the tribal councils
  • Some tribes were part of larger groups called nations
• Warrior societies

  • The best warriors from each band formed its warrior society
  • Members supervised hunting and protected their bands
  • All raids and wars were led by the society and they were consulted about important decisions
• Tribes were larger than bands
• Plains Indian leadership


  • No decision could be made until everyone at the council had agreed to it
  • The rest of the tribe or band did not have to obey
  • Chiefs and elders were often guided by the spirit world through visions
• Band roles

  • Men (braves) hunted and fought enemies
  • Women (squaws) made clothing, fed the family and looked after their tipi
  • Everyone looked after children
  • Elders were respected for their wisdom but were left behind to die if their weakness threatened the survival of a band
• Buffalo

  • Every part of a buffalo (except its heart) was used for food, clothing and equipment
  • Women and children cut up the buffalo meat
• Horses


  • Catching buffalo was far easier on horseback
  • Wealth and status were measured by how many horses an individual or tribe had
  • Horses were used in war
  • Horses carried the Plains Indians and their belongings on their journey to find buffalo
• The heart of the buffalo was not used by the Plains Indians, as they believed it gave new life to a herd
• Nomadic lifestyle

  • Tipis were ideal for Plains life
  • In winter, the bands moved to sheltered valleys where they lived in wooden lodges, insulated with thick layers of soil
  • Bands changed size depending on the amount of food available
• Plains Indians' beliefs about nature

  • Everything in nature has a spirit and these spirits could help or harm humans
  • Humans are a part of nature and should work with nature, rather than try to control it
  • The spirit world can be contacted through visions and special ritual dances
• Plains Indians' beliefs about land and property

  • Plains Indian tribes had sacred areas
  • Land was not property, and could not be bought and sold
• Plains Indians' attitudes to war

  • Plains Indians avoided too much killing
  • The highest respect was given to warriors for counting coup: landing a blow on an enemy and getting away without being injured
• Counting coup was respected in Plains Indian society because it meant young warriors came back alive to support their tribe and fight again
• White Americans had very different views on nature, land and war compared to Plains Indians


  This led to tension and conflict through the 1800s
• US government policy towards the Plains Indians

  1. 1834 Indian Trade and Intercourse Act set out the Permanent Indian Frontier

  2. After the Mexican-American War, the government wanted US citizens to settle in its new territories in the West

  3. The Indian Appropriation Act, 1851 bought up the land previously given to the Plains Indians and moved them into smaller areas called reservations
• The US government passed the Indian Appropriations Act in 1851 to fund the purchase of American Indian lands
• Factors encouraging migration to the West

  • Crises in the USA in the 1830s such as financial crisis and collapse in cotton prices
  • Manifest Destiny - the belief that it was God's will for white Americans to settle all over America
• Gold Rush migrants

  • Between 1836-1846, 5000 migrants used the Oregon Trail
  • In 1848, gold was discovered in California, attracting tens of thousands more
  • Thousands more came by ship, including 20,000 Chinese people in 1852
  • Most migrants did not find gold, as professional miners took over the gold mining
• Push and pull factors for westward migration


  • Pull factors: freedom and independence, fertile land, space, Oregon Trail
  • Push factors: financial crises, collapse in cotton and corn prices, overcrowding in the Midwest
• In 1837, a financial crisis caused many people to lose their money and jobs
• The concept of Manifest Destiny persuaded people that it was God's will for them to settle all over America
• The discovery of gold in the West attracted people hoping to get rich
• Gold Rush migrants

  • Between 1836 and 1846, 5000 migrants used the Oregon Trail
  • In 1848, gold was discovered in California
  • From 1849, tens of thousands used the Trail in the hope of finding gold in the West
  • Thousands more came by ship, from all over the world, to San Francisco
  • A famine in China led to 20 000 Chinese people migrating to California in 1852
  • Most migrants did not find gold
  • Professional miners with the equipment and expertise to mine underground (where most of the gold was) took over through the 1850s
• Pull factors for migration

  • Freedom and independence
  • Fertile land
  • Space
  • Oregon Trail
  • Gold
• Push factors for migration

  • Collapse of wheat prices
  • Overpopulation
  • Persecution (e.g. of the Mormons)
  • Unemployment
• The Oregon Trail


  • A challenging 3200 km long trail across the Great Plains and two sets of mountains
• The Donner Party


  • Left Missouri on the Oregon Trail in May 1846 with 60 wagons and 300 people
  • At Fort Bridger, a smaller group of about 80 people tried to take a 'short cut'
  • Four wagons broke, 300 cattle died and one man killed another
  • They arrived late in the Sierra Nevada and were trapped by heavy snow
  • A group was sent for help, but took 32 days to find aid at Johnson's Ranch
  • To survive, both groups ate their dead
• Mormon migration

  • The Mormons, a religious group, were persecuted in Illinois and their leader, Joseph Smith, was murdered
  • In 1846, the Mormons left for the Great Salt Lake, hoping to settle there
  • Their new leader, Brigham Young, gave instructions on how to survive the journey
  • He split his 1500 followers into groups
  • Everyone had a specific role within their group
  • They formed their wagons into a circle, for safety
  • He insisted on discipline and regular rest
  • Between 1847 and 1869, 70 000 Mormons followed the 'Mormon Trail'
• The Mormons left Illinois because they were persecuted and their leader, Joseph Smith, was murdered
• Brigham Young led an advance party along the route taken by some of the Donner Party in 1846

  Young had carefully researched the route in advance, while the Donner Party had trusted in a 'short cut' written in a pamphlet
• The Donner Party ran out of food

  Young's party had enough food for a year
• The Donner Party had many older and young people

  Young's advance group of 150 was specially chosen with the skills to pick out the best route, improve the trail and mark out water sources and grass for the animals
• Young's careful planning prepared the way for the next wagon train of 1500 Mormons
• Between 1847 and 1869, 70 000 Mormons followed the 'Mormon Trail' to the Salt Lake Valley
• Sod houses

  • The thick walls and roof were good insulation
  • The earth walls and roof were fireproof
  • Sod houses were impossible to keep clean and were full of insects
• Crops that did well in the East shrivelled up and died from lack of water, or were eaten by insect infestations, such as grasshopper swarms