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““How the West was How the West was Won…OR Lost”Won…OR Lost”
HUSHUnit 6
"My lands are where my dead lie buried"
-Crazy Horse
"I wish it to be remembered that I was the last man of my tribe to surrender my rifle."
-Sitting Bull
“Hurrah, boys! We've got them!”
- General George Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn
Turner’ Frontier ThesisTurner’ Frontier Thesis• Frederick Jackson Turner
theorized in 1893 that the that the frontier had played a central role in forming the American character– This included the idea that
the frontier had produced individualistic, restless, and socially mobile Americans who were ready for adventure
• These individuals in Turner’s thesis were white men only and disregarded the impact that women and minorities made in establishing the American West
•http://www.ifilm.com/collection/406/channel/movies
Land for Sale!!Land for Sale!! Pacific Railway Acts of
1862 and 1864 gave the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad companies 10 square miles on each side of the tracks. They sold land to settlers
who wanted farms
Very profitable for railroads AND the lucky few who got this land
Two Land LawsTwo Land Laws• Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862: provide support
for state colleges; the federal government distributed millions of acres of western lands to state governments; the land was sold to fund agricultural colleges
• Homestead Act, 1862: offered 160 acres of land to those who met these requirements: 1. 21 years old 2. American citizens or have filed for citizenship 3. Pay $10 4. Build a house and live in it at least 6 months a
year 5. Farm the land for 5 consecutive years
• Problems: Many too poor, no farming experience, fraud
Settlers Work TogetherSettlers Work Together• Water was scarce,
contaminated; 1880s had well-drilling equipment– This was very difficult;
backbreaking labor
• Men often had to leave and work in towns for cash, leaving families alone
• Families cooperated in building houses, barns, sewing quilts, corn-husking, caring for the sick
Sod House on Prairie
African AmericansAfrican Americans• Exodusters
– 50,000 African Americans who moved to the West
– Benjamin “Pap” Singleton led a group
• Life was hard due to poverty, lack of experience with prairie crops like wheat and corn
• However, most Exodusters were happier than if they had stayed in the South– Many there still subjected to
Black codes and inequality
Women on the FrontierWomen on the Frontier• Men often had to leave to
find jobs for cash
– Women often spent long periods alone
– Women stayed to protect homestead from squatters
• Western women led the fight for the right to vote
– 1890 Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote
“Here we are, boys!!”
Railroads and SettlersRailroads and Settlers
• Railroads brought swarms of settlers, who took Native American lands
• Some signed treaties, selling their lands and went to reservations
• Others fought, or did not stay on the reservations
GeronimoGeronimo• Famous Apache warrior
– Was born in 1829 in what today is New Mexico
• One of the most pivotal moments in Geronimo's life was in 1858 when he returned home from a trading excursion into Mexico. – He found his wife, his mother and his three
young children murdered by Spanish troops from Mexico.
– This reportedly caused him to have such a hatred of the whites that he vowed to kill as many as he could.
• From that day on he took every opportunity he could to terrorize Mexican settlements and soon after this incident he received his “power”, which supposedly came to him in visions
• After the area was claimed by the US, Geronimo led a band of Apache against these “outsiders” in 1865
Rage Among the Apache, Rage Among the Apache, Cheyenne, Sioux, and NavahosCheyenne, Sioux, and Navahos
• Geronimo and the Navajo and Apache wars continued until Geronimo surrendered in 1886
• The Cheyenne were attacked by the US army at Sand Creek in Colorado, with as many as 450 dead.
• The First Sioux War in 1865 occurred when the government decided to build a road through Sioux lands– That ended when the Sioux
agreed to return to their reservation
Face-Off Between the Face-Off Between the CulturesCultures
• The Second Sioux War began in 1875 when miners went to the Black Hills in South Dakota and Chief Sitting Bull left the reservation again– The American Army
was called in to bring him back…they called on General George Custer for the job
The Black Hills of North Dakota
Chief Sitting Bull•Sitting Bull was born around 1831 on the Grand River in present-day South Dakota
•Sitting Bull was given the name Tatanka-Iyotanka, which describes a buffalo bull sitting intractably on its haunches.
• It was a name he would live up to throughout his life.
• Sitting Bull's courage was legendary.
• Once, in 1872, during a battle with soldiers protecting railroad workers on the Yellowstone River, Sitting Bull led four other warriors out between the lines, sat calmly sharing a pipe with them as bullets buzzed around.
• He carefully reamed the pipe out when they were finished, and then casually walked away.
Chief Sitting BullChief Sitting Bull
General George A. Custer
• Flamboyant in life, George Armstrong Custer has remained one of the best-known figures in American history.
• He fought during the Civil War in the First Battle of Bull Run, and served in the Virginia and Gettysburg campaigns.
Effective Leader and Soldier
• Although his units suffered enormously high casualty rates -- even by the standards of the bloody Civil War
• His fearless aggression in battle earned him the respect of his commanding generals and increasingly put him in the public eye.
Custer After the Civil War
• Custer was sent to the Northern Plains in 1873, where he soon participated in a few small skirmishes with the Lakota in the Yellowstone area.
• The following year, he led a 1,200 person expedition to the Black Hills, which had been given to the Lakota Sioux just six years before.
“There’s Gold in them there Black Hills!”
• When Custer reported finding gold in the Black Hills, the government offered to buy the land from the Sioux, but they refused to sell.
• The U.S. Army then allowed gold prospectors to come into the Reservation's hills by the thousands.
Gold miners in the Black Hills of Dakota
The 2 Leaders Meet
• In the summer of 1876 Custer was sent from Fort Abraham Lincoln to capture Sitting Bull and his band of Sioux
• On the verge of what seemed to him a certain and glorious victory for both the United States and himself, Custer ordered an immediate attack on a Sioux village.
Custer is Surrounded and...• Contemptuous of
Indian military power, Custer split his forces into three parts to ensure that fewer Indians would escape.
• But the plan failed, and on June 25, he and his troopers were attacked at Little Big Horn in a battle that probably lasted no longer than twenty minutes.
Battle of Little Big Horn
Custer’s Last Stand
• The attack was one the greatest fiascos of the United States Army.
• Thousands of Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors forced Custer's unit back onto a long, dusty ridge parallel to the Little Bighorn, surrounded the soldiers and killed all 200+ American soldiers.
The Battlefield Today
Paintings of Little Big Horn usually depict Custer as a gallant victim, surrounded by bloodthirsty savages intent upon his
annihilation.
They Won the Battle, but Lost their Culture
• Usually forgotten was the other side of the story, and that most of Indians present were forced to surrender within a year of their greatest battlefield triumph.
Sitting Bull is finally Captured• Sitting Bull thought by
winning this battle, the U.S. government would leave him alone, but the fight had just begun.
• As the battles continued, many of Sitting Bull's followers surrendered. – However, Sitting Bull did
not give up. • In 1877, Sitting Bull and
his followers escaped into Canada.
• However within four years, famine forced them to surrender.
Sitting Bull’s Later Years
• Sitting Bull was held as a prisoner of war for two years.
• In 1885, Sitting Bull joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and traveled throughout the United States and Canada.
The Fate of Indian TerritoryThe Fate of Indian Territory• Nearly 70 Indian nations had been
forced onto Indian Reservations• The Native American cultures were
shattered– Farming tribes were left with no
land to farm– Herding tribes were left with no
land to herd– The result was heartbreaking as
these tribes were forced to integrate on strange lands with little resources
• In 1889 Congress opened the confiscated 2 million acres to settlers
• Some Indian leaders led rebellions to no avail
Dawes Act
• In February 1887, Henry Dawes persuaded Congress to pass legislation that became known as the Dawes Plan. – The plan said that Native Americans should be granted
land in exchange for renouncing tribal allegiances.
• Under the terms of this legislation all family heads received one hundred acres, and each dependent child 40 acres. – This land was held in trust for 25 years, at the end of
which time the holder was to acquire full title with the right to sell.
• That Native Americans who received this land were also granted citizenship and full political rights.
Results of Dawes Act• The Dawes Act was disastrous for most Native
Americans.– The Act forced Native people onto small tracts
of land distant from their kin relations. – The allotment policy depleted the land base,
ending hunting as a means of subsistence.– Traditionally women were the agriculturists
while the men were the hunters and warriors. • Far from making them self-reliant farmers, it
shattered one of the main pillars of their culture--community property.
• Besides the loss of identity, most lost their livelihoods when they could not make the transition to individualized, self-sufficient agricultural farming.
The Boomers and Sooners The Boomers and Sooners • At noon on April 22,
hundreds of homesteaders rushed across the border
• At high noon on April 22, 1889, the opening of the unassigned lands was signaled by gunshot, trumpet, and cannon shot at numerous points of entry into what would soon become Oklahoma Territory. – The settlers were known
as Boomers; those who sneaked in early were known as Sooners. http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/links/boomer_sooner.htm
• When Sitting Bull returned to the reservation in 1889, many natives had joined a new religion called the Ghost Dance.
• They believed an Indian messiah would return their lands and remove the whites.
The Ghost Dance
Excerpt from the Ghost Dance
“Dance”, said the dream.“Dance to call those ghosts alive again.”
“Dance, and the white men will alldisappear, their horses and their goods remain.”
“Dance, and the fish will fill the streams
and buffalo be many.”“Dance.”
Ghost Dance by Robbie Robertsonhttp://www.starpulse.com/Music/Robertson,_Robbie/Videos/20962/
Crow has brought the message to the children of the sunfor the return of the buffaloand for a better day to comeYou can kill my bodyYou can damn my soul for not believing in your godand some world down belowYou don't stand a chance against my prayersYou don't stand a chance against my loveThey outlawed the Ghost Dancebut we shall live again,we shall live againMy sister aboveShe has red paintShe died at Wounded Knee like a latter day saintYou got the big drum in the distanceblackbird in the skyThat's the sound that you hearwhen the buffalo cryYou don't stand a chanceagainst my prayersYou don't stand a chance against my prayers
You don't stand a chanceagainst my loveThey outlawed the Ghost Dancebut we shall live again,we shall live againCrazy Horse was a mysticHe knew the secret of the tranceAnd Sitting Bull the great apostleof the Ghost DanceCome on ComancheCome on BlackfootCome on ShoshoneCome on CheyenneWe shall live againCome on ArapahoCome on CherokeeCome on PaiuteCome on SiouxWe shall live again
Massacre at Wounded Knee• White officials became
alarmed at the religious fervor and activism and in December 1890 banned the Ghost Dance on Lakota reservations.
• When the rites continued, officials called in troops to the reservations in South Dakota.
• The resulting massacre, which lasted less than an hour, found at least 150 Indians had been killed and 50 wounded.
• In comparison, army casualties were 25 killed and 39 wounded.
The Death of Sitting Bull
• Because of this new religion, Indian police arrested Sitting Bull on December 15, 1890 as a precaution.
• They planned to send Sitting Bull to prison, but when his warriors attempted to rescue him, he was killed.
• He was buried at Fort Yates.
• In 1953, his remains were moved to Mobridge, South Dakota.
Crazy Horse• Crazy Horse was a legendary Lakota
(Sioux) warrior
• Even as a young man, he stole horses from the Crow Indians before he was thirteen, and led his first war party before turning twenty
• Crazy Horse earned his reputation not only by his skill and daring in battle but also by his fierce determination to preserve his people's traditional way of life.
• There are no pictures of Crazy Horse…he never allowed it.
The Battle of Rosebud Creek
• When the War Department ordered all Lakota bands onto their reservations in 1876 Crazy Horse became a leader of the resistance.
• He gathered a force of 1,200 Sioux and Cheyenne at his village and turned back American force near Little Big Horn.
The Death of Crazy Horse
• He was killed on September 6 under strange circumstances at Fort Robinson, Nebraska.
• He fought his entire life for the preservation of the land and culture of the Sioux Indians.
South Dakota…Home to Two Monuments ??
Crazy Horse Monument
• The Crazy Horse Memorial is a memorial to the famous Native American leader
• The form is of a huge statue of the rider on horseback carved from the side of a mountain.
http://www.crazyhorse.org/
Plans for the Sculpture• When completed, the Crazy Horse statue will have some
extremely impressive dimensions• It will be larger than the Sphinx, at 563 feet it will be taller than
the Washington Monument • The figure's outstretched arm will be longer than three
American Football fields.
It will be a fitting tribute to a noble man who lived his life his way.
Model of Statue
Chief Joseph and the Nez PerceChief Joseph and the Nez Perce• The Nez Perce tribe was located in
what is today Oregon and Washington
• When young members of the tribe attacked white settlers, the settlers vowed to get revenge
• They fled, but were attacked by US troops at Big Hole Basin– Men, women, and children
were killed• Chief Joseph tried to escape with
his people and got to within 40 miles of Canada when he was captured– “I am tired of fighting”
• Finally settled on a reservation in Washington State
Native Cultures DestroyedNative Cultures Destroyed• Most leaders dead or under
arrest
• Buffalo killed off
• Native Americans are forbidden to practice their religions
• The abuse of the Dawes Act resulted in the loss of much of their lands
• The amount of land owned by Indians shrank by 65% by 1934.
Farming on the PlainsFarming on the Plains• Challenging conditions
• New technology-dry farming, planting crops that do not require much water
• Agricultural knowledge
• Bonanza farms: controlled by big businesses
• Farm debt: machines were costly, land speculation, and low prices for crops
Mining FrontierMining Frontier
• Gold was first discovered at Sutter’s Mill in CA
• Pikes Peak• Comstock Lode• Placer mining: shoveled dirt
into a pan and washed it in water, looking for gold or silver
• Large corporations moved in for PROFIT!
The Cattle IndustryThe Cattle Industry• American “cowboys”
adopted Mexican ranching ways, equipment, and dress.– There was a huge demand for
beef
• Cattle were transported from ranges to “cow towns” on “Long drives”
• The Chisholm Trail linked Texas to Kansas and the railroad
• Barbed wire ended the open range
Farmers’ ComplaintsFarmers’ Complaints
• There was a decline in crop prices– Competition from
farmers – Competition from
other countries• Complaints about the
power of big business• The government refused
of to help farmers and usually sided with big business
Tariffs and Money IssueTariffs and Money Issue• Tariffs protected farmers against farm imports,
but hurt farmers because of raised prices of manufactured goods
• Kept foreigners from earning American currency to buy American crops.– Inflation helps people in debt.
– Deflation helps people who lend money.
• In 1873 the US went on the gold standard– “gold bugs” reduced the amount of money in circulation.
– But farmers wanted to increase the money supply.
• Free silver: farmers wanted silver coined to increase the supply of money. – These farmers were called “silverites”
Farmer ProtestsFarmer Protests• The Grange:
– Patrons of Husbandry, organized by Oliver H. Kelley
– Helped farmers form cooperatives and pressured states to regulate businesses that farmers depended on like grain elevators and railroads
• Farmers’ Alliances:
– A network of alliances attacked monopolies such as the railroads
– Wanted regulation of the railroads, more money in circulation, creation of state departments of agriculture, antitrust laws, and farm credit
Inactive GovernmentInactive Government
• Presidents lacked power to take action.– Congress was dominant
• The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 was enacted in 1887– regulated the prices that
railroads charged to move freight between states
• Created an “Interstate Commerce Commission” to enforce the laws
Important Supreme Court Case
• Munn v. Illinois – Supreme Court ruled that states can
regulate maximum prices on companies in the public interest
• e.g. grain elevators and railroads
– Helped farmers– Businesses did not like ruling because
it cut into profits
Panic of 1893
• Suggested Solutions– Laissez-faire (do nothing and
let it heal itself)– Enact protective tariff– Enact revenue tariff– Stick to the gold standard– Institute bimetallism
The Populists (People’s Party)The Populists (People’s Party)Party Platform• Increased circulation of money• Unlimited minting of silver• Progressive income tax• Government ownership of the country’s
communication and transportation systems• Called for an eight-hour work day
Legacy and Goals• Nation returned to the gold standard• Crop prices rose and populism died; the goals
lived on, launching a new wave of reform
William Jennings BryanWilliam Jennings Bryan
• Election of 1896– Republicans ran
William McKinley
– Democrats ran William Jennings Bryan after he gave an emotional speech, asking for free silver
– Was supported by Populists
“The Cross of Gold” Speech
• “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.”
• After Bryan delivered the speech, people shouted and marched around the convention hall for an hour, then chose him as the Democratic nominee.
• He lost to McKinley in the general election
The Demise of the Populist Party
• After throwing all their weight behind Bryan in the unsuccessful campaign of 1896, the Populist Party virtually disappeared from national politics.
• The ideas that originated with the party, however, were picked up by the Progressive movement, and most eventually became common to American politics.
Election of 1896
Republicans
“Front Porch Campaign”
Democrats
“Whirlwind Campaign”
Candidate William
McKinley
William Jennings
Bryan
Platform Protective Tariff
Gold Standard w/International bimetallism
Bimetallism (Silver 16:1)
Backed by Populists
Electoral Vote
271 176
Who’s Who in Populism?
Coxey’s Army
Unemployed laborers asking the president for jobs… they don’t see
a solution anywhere but in government and look to him as their
savior
Eastern Businessmen
Looking for a profit – may exploit laborers on the way to success, but
are focused on their personal wealth and not that of others
Eastern Laborers
Factory workers, mostly immigrants, exploited by the wealthy seeking to make an
economic profit. Relative midgets in the political realm; disheartened,
they don’t really push to join in!
Gold BugsSupporters of the gold standard, which is
business as usual but potentially dangerous if we don’t look at alternatives
Plains Indians
Not inherently bad, but seen as some as being in the way of Progress… their actions will depend on the actions of others and their
leadership
President
Cleveland and then McKinley. Both men try to focus on economic problems and try to give the people what they want, but in the end stick to what they think the people need to survive.
Silverites
Supporters of the silver movement and bimetallism. They see their idea as a creative
solution to problems that no one realizes is there.
Western Farmers
Idealistic, struggling folks who aren’t as dumb as they look… They need to farm to survive and will support the politicians who they think will help them the most.
Western Leaders
Seen as manipulative, they have taken westerners prisoner by taking advantage of their innocence and lack of knowledge
of the political world
William Jennings Bryan
Ready for a fight over the bimetallism issue. Presidential hopeful whose ideas don’t work out for him in the real world, but people continue to support him even
after his loss.
And now… the Allegory of all Allegories…
The Wizard of Oz
and Populism???
What is the Truth Behind the Curtain??
• Some scholars believe Frank Oz’s story was written as a thinly disguised tale about Populism and the gold standard
Your Assignment…• The characters and images
from the Wizard of Oz represent various parts of America and debates that the Populists.
• From what you’ve learned as well as your memory of the movie’s story line, make educated guesses about these representations.
1. Everyman, the American People2. Eastern businessmen who took advantage of their laborers3. Eastern laborers4. American idealism and trust that everything will work out ok…5. The gold standard – both mundane and dangerous at the same time…6. The silver standard – a real force in a land of illusions. Fall off her feet on the
way home – represent the loss of the silver movement7. The president, like any president of the time, he hides in the white house and
gives people what they think they want8. National capital, look at everything green – paper dollars9. Abbreviation for ounce of gold; the nation’s heartland and ideals10. Kansas farmer, emerges as shrewd and capable11. Exploited and disheartened eastern laborer12. William Jennings Bryan13. Coxey’s army going to ask the president for work14. Western leader who takes manipulates people and holds them prisoner by
taking advantage of their innate innocence15. The plains Indians – not inherently bad, actions depend on those of others16. Water! The farmers are experiencing draught, and water can create their
agricultural paradise
What/who do you think these characters represent?
1. Dorothy
2. Wicked Witch of the East
3. Munchkins
4. Glenda, the Good Witch of the North/South
5. Yellow Brick Road
6. Silver/Ruby Slippers
7. The Wizard of Oz
8. The Emerald City
9. Oz10.The Scarecrow11. The Tinman12. The Cowardly Lion13. Dorothy and friends
journey on Yellow Brick Road to Oz
14. Wicked Witch of the West
15. Winged Monkeys16. Water thrown on the
witch
The Answers…
The West by 1900The West by 1900
• Number of tenant farmers grew in the West
• Corporations owned many large farms
• Farmers were deeply in debt
• Census of 1890: frontier ended
Study and read your chapters!!
Thanks to Ms. Juckett for her great notes on Populism and
The Wizard of Oz
