Life on the Western Front

Life on the Western Front

Open Ended

What was it called when Americans believed it was their responsibility to settle West?

Settlers v. Native Americans

• Settlers were continuing to push westward

• Natives were being forced onto reservations

• Major battles between the US Army & Natives to push them off of their land

Assimilation

• Plan where Natives would give up their way of life and adopt white American culture

• Many children were taken from their families to go to boarding schools where they would learn white American culture

• Many Native languages/customs are forgotten today due to assimilation

Open Ended

How have you seen assimilation in your life today?

Impact of Settlement

• By 1932, white Americans had taken away 2/3 of the land designated for Natives

• The buffalo were almost extinct by 1900 (in 1800 there were 65 million buffalo inthe West)

Open Ended

Review: What event pushed all of the Native Americans to the land they were on in the West?

Let's All Move West!

• Homestead Act: Everyone who moved west was promised land

• Exodusters (Black Americans looking to leave the South) start moving West (specifically to Kansas)

• Government was allowing people to take land that wasn't theirs all throughout the West

• Support for farmers (given money, education, land, etc.)

Open Ended

Do you think the American government should apologize/be punished for stealing this land today? Why/why not?

Life in the West for Settlers

• Cowboys (culture taken from the Mexican cattle ranchers)

• No more "open range" (invention of barbed wire to keep your land separate from someone else and your cows on your property)

• Railroads will begin to be laid down to lead to faster and more efficient transportation

• Lived in homes carved into the landscape (dugouts) or made from prairie turf (soddies)

Multiple Choice

The original cowboys were called

• vaqueros

• kauboj

• رعاة البقر

• paniolo

Farmers & the Populist Movement

• Railroad companies taking advantage of the farmers who relied on them to sell their crops

• Farmer's Alliances created to help educate farmers on how not to be swindled by banks/railroads/etc.

• POPULISM: Movement of the people to make far-reaching changes. Demanded reforms for farmers/workers and to give people a bigger voice in their government

Farmers & the Populist Movement

• Leads to the creation of the 16th Amendment (power to create an income tax nationally)

• Other reforms: Election of US Senators by popular vote, single terms, secret ballots, 8 hour workdays, and immigration restriction

Open Ended

Which of those reforms do you think was most important?

Economic Crash leads to a new debate

• Economic crash due to the lack of gold in circulation

• Should our money be backed by gold or silver??? (Huge question in the Election of 1896)

Impact of the Movement

• Downtrodden could organize & make changes in politics and an agenda of reforms that would be enacted during the 20th century

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