Social Studies Review Great Plains

Front 1

What was the American frontier in the 1860s?

Back 1

The American frontier in the 1860s was the Great Plains. The is important because this is where all of the settlers would move during Westward Expansion.

Front 2

Why were the Great Plains considered uninhabitable?

Back 2

They were considered uninhabitable because there were no trees to build houses and fires, not a lot of water, there was no way to farm (which was later found to be false), Native Americans, neighbors were miles apart, etc. This is important because not only are these reasons why the Great Plains are considered uninhabitable, but they are also some dangers that families on the Plains have to deal with.

Front 3

What factors encouraged cowboys and cattle ranchers to set out for the Great Plains?

Back 3

They found that the great plains were very good for raising their cattle because of the Great Plains' grass. Also, many settlers moved to the Great Plains because of the gold rush. This is important because the majority of the people who moved to the Great Plains were people who came to get gold or to raise their cattle.

Front 4

How did the Homestead Act of 1862 encourage settlement of the Great Plains?

Back 4

The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of land free to anyone who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years. This seemed like a good idea for most settlers, so they moved. This is important because this helped the Great Plains become inhabited.

Front 5

What inventions made settlement of the Great Plains possible?

Back 5

The inventions that made settlement possible were the steel plow, barbed wire, threshers, reapers, and windmills. These were important because each individual invention helped in its own way.

Front 6

Describe the dangers and hardships of frontier life?

Back 6

There were many dangers and hardships of the frontier life. The dangers and hardships they had to face were building sod houses, burning cow chips for fuel, digging wells 280 feet deep, blizzards, prairie fires, hailstorms, tornadoes, and drought. These were important because without them, pioneers' life would be a lot easier.

Front 7

What events closed the American Frontier?

Back 7

The event that closed the frontier was the land rush of 1889. This is important because if the frontier never closed, I'm sure it would still be called the frontier today.

Front 8

What was life like for the Native Americans of the Great Plains?

Back 8

Life for Native Americans was a struggle, just like life for settlers. Also, they had to struggle with the federal government forcing their tribes to move and battles that took place with them and the whites over land. This was important because it shows how white people made life so much harder for the Native Americans.

Front 9

How did life on the Great Plains differ for Native Americans and settlers?

Back 9

Native Americans followed the Buffalo and game, they respected and only hunted to live, not for sport, didn't waste any part of the Buffalo, open minded, they had set jobs, their tribes were all one, big, good, formal family, and they were pushed around by settlers. Settlers hunted for sport and to live, claimed land, and were greedy. These differences are important to Westward Expansion because if they weren't different, there would not have been any battles and they would have been able to live in peace.

Front 10

What attempts did the U.S. government make to keep peace with the Native Americans?

Back 10

The U.S. passed the Dawes Act. This act was intended to encourage Native Americans to become farmers, but they were eventually forced without any choice. This is important because it shows how greedy the whites were and how they lied to the Native Americans.

Front 11

Sand Creek Massacre

Back 11

The Sand Creek Massacre was an 1864 attack in which more than 150 Cheyenne men, women, and children were killed by the Colorado militia. This is terrible how horrific white people could be to Native Americans. I don't understand why the whites can't realize that Native Americans are humans just like them?

Front 12

Discovery of gold in the Black Hills

Back 12

The discovery of gold in the Black Hills was important because it brought many people to the Great Plains to mine for gold.

Front 13

The completion of the transcontinental Railroad

Back 13

The completion of the Transcontinental Railroad was important because it spanned the entire continent and was used a lot by cattle ranchers to bring their cattle to the North.

Front 14

The Battle of Little Bighorn

Back 14

The Battle of Little Bighorn was an 1876 battle in which the Sioux and the Cheyenne wiped out an entire force of U.S. troops. This is one of the many battles that the Native Americans and white settlers fought and was important because unlike many battles, the Native Americans won.

Front 15

Wounded Knee Massacre

Back 15

The Wounded Knee Massacre was when the whites rounded the Native Americans up at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. A fire was shot, in which the troopers responded, killing 300 men, women, and children. This is important because to me, it seems more like a war than a massacre because many, many innocent people were killed.

Front 16

Ghost Dance

Back 16

The Ghost Dance was a chant and movement performed by Native Americans to prepare for a vision that Wovoka had, where white settlers were removed and the Native Americans were free to hunt the Buffalo. This is important because is shows how much Native Americans want to be free from the whites.

Front 17

Dawes Act

Back 17

The Dawes Act encouraged Native Americans to learn white culture. This is important because is shows how peaceful the whites were at first, but then forced the Native Americans to learn white cuture and farm.

Front 18

Reservations

Back 18

The reservations were where Native Americans were put to live, but there were no buffalo. This is important because it shows how controlling the whites were over the Native Americans.