Chapter 26 Reading Guide

Chapter 26 Reading Guide The Great West and the Agricultural Revolution 1865-1896

Terms: Ft. Laramie Treaty 1851, Ft. Atkinson Treaty 1853, George Custer, Sand Creek Massacre, Phillip Sheridan, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, Helen Hunt Jackson, Wounded Knee Massacre, Daowes Severalty Act, John Wesley Powell, Oklahoma Land Rush, Mary E. Lease, Alliance Movement, Colored Farmers National Alliance, Populist Party, Coxey’s Army, Pullman Strike, Eugene V. Debs, Mark Hanna, Cross of Gold Speech, William Jennings Bryan, Dingley Tariff, Gold Standard Act,

I. Conquest/Extermination of the Native Americans

A. The Clash of Cultures on the Plains 1. From what two areas were settlers crowding the Native Americans population? How large was that population in 1865? 2. What was the purpose of the treaties of Fort Laramie and Atkinson? 3. Describe the policy of the American Government towards the Indians post Civil War Pre Dawes Act?\How did Indian agents take advantage of Native Americans?

B. Receding Native Population 1. What was the significance of the Fetterman Massacre? 2. How was the treaty of Ft. Laramie 1868 broken by Custer? Why? 3. Explain the lasting significance of the Battle of Little Big Horn. 4. Why were the Indians defeated? Explain in detail.

C. Bellowing Herds of Bison 1. How did white encroachment in the west affect the Buffalo? 2. How did this affect the Indians that relied on the buffalo?

D. The End of the Trail 1. Explain the significance of A Century of Dishonor. 2. Explain the connection between the Buffalo and the Plain Indians. 3. How did reformers change Indian policy? What effect did the Dawes Severalty Act have on the Indians? 4. What policy overturned the Dawes Act? When? E. The Plains Indian 1. How important was the Buffalo to the Plains Indians? Explain in detail 2. How did the acquisition of horses impact the Plains Indians? How did they acquire horses?

II. Mining, Ranching, and Homesteading

A. Mining: From Dishpan to Ore Breaker What mineral strikes occurred in the post war west? How did they affect the development of the west?

B. Beef Bonanzas and the Long Drive 1. How did the railroads affect the cattle industry? 2. What was the long drive? 3. How did the winter of ’86 affect the cattle industry?

C. The Farmer’s Frontier 1. What are the details of the Homestead Act? Explain this? 2. What were the problems of farming west of the 100th meridian? D. The Far West Comes of Age 1. What six new states were added to the Union 1889-90? 2. How was Oklahoma settled by whites?

E. The Fading Frontier 1. Evaluate the validity of the safety valve theory. 2. Describe the influence of the westward moving experience on the development of America. 3. Westerns have always been rugged individualists. Assess the validity of this statement.

III. Birth of Populism

A. The Farm Becomes a Factory How did mechanization affect American agriculture? B. Deflation Dooms the Debtor 1. What did low prices for grain plague the farmers of the 80’s and 90’s? 2. How did deflation affect the farmers? 3. What was the trend in farm ownership in post civil war agriculture? Why?

C. Unhappy Farmers 1. How did nature affect the farmer negatively in the 80’s and 90’s 2. How were farmers at the mercy of the big trusts? The railroads?

D. The Farmers Take Their Stand 1. How did the Grange movement begin? 2. What was its significance? 3. How did Farmers seek redress to their grievances with the Greenback Labor Party?

E. Prelude to Populism 1. What was the alliance movement? What party did it lead to? 2. What effect did the populists have on the two political parties? 3. How did the populists do in the election? Why didn’t the south join the populists?

F. Coxey’s Army and the Pullman Strike 1. What did Coxey want? What happen to Coxey’s army? 2. Why id the Pullman workers strike? How did Cleveland respond? 3. Why happened to DEBS?

G. Golden McKinley and Silver Bryan 1. How did McKinley become the leading candidate for the republican nomination? 2. What did Hanna think was the purpose of government? 3. Describe the Republican platform. 4. How did Bryan win nomination for president? 5. What did the populist’s party do? 6. How did Bryan cause a split in the Democratic Party? 7. What was the democratic platform in the election of 1896? 8. Why did ratio of silver to gold that the democrats called for now make sense?

H. Class Conflict: Plowholders vs. Bondholders How did republicans use 16 to 1 against the democrats?

I. Republican Stand-pattism Enthroned 1. What happened to tariffs under the republicans? 2. How was inflation achieved without the coining of silver?

IV. Varying Viewpoints: Was the West really “Won”? 1. What was argued in Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis? 2. How have new western historians challenged Turners thesis?