Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Chapter 16-The West 2 01/08/08

Frederick Jackson Turner

First to use term "frontier"

American frontier experience taught us democratic values

Freedom, strength, self reliance, etc

Frontier an aspect unique to American History

Appealing to foreigners

Belief in a Second Chance

Challenge of self-reliance

Pretends that American West was uninhabited

Turner does not mention difficulty of living, injustices, indecencies

Homesteaders need protection against Indians, military forts.

5 Important aspects of Plains Culture

Strong Understanding of Place

Knowledge of animals, plants

Efficient use of natural resources

Make Annual movements according to this pattern

Low Population and Population Control

Kept there numbers low during "lean years"

Infanticide

Kept pop. in limits of land.

Biodegradable Technology

Tools made from plains materials

Buffalo, Willow, Sage, Quartz, Obsidian

Land Management

Indians used land intensively

Buffer zones to tribes, so no hunting overlap

Non-Materialistic Society

Little emphasis placed on "things"

Nomadic, travel light

Ceremonial items are only exceptions

William Tecumseh Sherman assigned to West to work with Indians

"Only good Indian is a dead Indian."

Colorado Sand Creek Massacre: US kills 400 Native American women and children

Indians put on reservations

Led to uprisings

Sioux War

Apaches attack in Southwest

Geronimo

Helen Hunt

Wrote "A Century of Dishonor"

First person to write book cataloging America's broken promises to Native Americans

Daws Severity Act

Creates small reservation that allows for assimilation

Roots of conflict

Pushed Indians east, Whites go east

Tensions increase in 1870's

Indian Wars

Government creates treaties to end Indian Wars

Fort Laramie, '68, Lots of good territory for Sioux, Sioux Treaty

Whites move to Black hills, need mil. protection

Custer wants fame

Effective captain in Civil War

Anaconda Plan

Restricts Sioux's territory, response to Sioux's unwillingness to give up land

1. Gen. Terry Leads the Dakota Column, with Custer

2. Col. Gibbon leads MT Column

3. Gen Crook leads Wyoming

Meet at Little Bighorn

Custer is ambitious, scouts say lots of Sioux at little Bighorn

June, 1876

Underestimates number of Cheyenne and Sioux

Crook gets turned around by Crazy Horse

Custer believes if he is first there, gets all the credit

Restore reputation

Wants to be Presidential candidate

Battle of Little Bighorn

Less than 20 minutes

264 men versus 2500 Sioux

Leaves Heavy weapons

Light arms and swords

No white survivors

The news made it back to East in time for centennial


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