american west

• ways in which the plain indians used the buffalo

  • fur - stuffing saddles, make mittens and rope
  • horns - arrow straightners, cups and fire carriers
  • bones - arrowhead, dice and knives
• ways in which the horses were important

  • hunting - catching buffalo was quicker and easier
  • wealth - were measured by how many horses tribe or Indian had
  • journey - horse carried the indians and their belongings on there journey to find buffalo
• normadic lifestyle


  most plain indians followed the buffalo migrations through the summer and winter
• tipis


  made of wooden poles and covered in buffalo hide. coned shape protected them against strong winds, flaps provided ventilation in the summer heat
• belief about nature

  • spiritual - everything in nature had a spirit and these spirits could help humans or harm them
  • humans were part of nature and should work with the spirits of nature rather than try to tame and control nature
• beliefs about land and property

  • plain indians had sacred areas. for Lakota Sioux, the black hills, paha sapa were sacred because this was where the Lakota believed there tribe had originally came from
  • Indian families sometimes had there own garden plots but generally no one owned the land
• attitudes to war

  • plain indians society was full of conflict, but indians had developed ways to avoid too much killing because young men were essential to each tribes survival
  • Indian war parties would also run away if a fight turned against them
• governemnt support for western expansion

  • the government needed US citizens to go and live in its new territories in the west
  • this meant that people needed to be able to travel across indian lands
  • the US army forced indians to move away from the trails in case indians attacked travekkers migrating east to west
• why move west? - positive

  • freedom and independence
  • fertile land
  • space
  • oregon trail
  • gold
• why move west? - negative

  • collapse of wheat prices
  • overpopulation
  • presectution
  • unemployment
• manifest destiny

  the US government needed to populate their territory in the west to defend it from foreign power. this aim was reflected in the concept of manifest destiny, that it was gods will that white Americans should settle over all of america
• farming crisis in the mid west of the USA


  in 1837 corn prices collapsed leaving farmers facing ruin, this was not helped by overcrowding in this fertile farming region, in particular along the mississippi valley. these were factors for farmers to travel west
• gold rush consequences

  • problems of lawlessness in the mining camps
  • denocide of Californian indians by migrants
  • gold from California boosts US economy - helps fund railroads
• problems of farming the plains

  • climate - very hot, dry summers and very cold winters
  • lack of waters - very little surface water and very low rainfall
  • lack of trees - very little timber for fencing or building
• dealing with a lack of timber

  • the thick walls and food were good insulation in winter
  • the earth walls and roof were fireproof, giving protection from prarie fires
  • however, sod houses were impossible to keep clean and were full of insects