Chapter+5+Directed+Reading

Chapter 5 Changes on the Western Frontier Objective: To analyze the settlement of the Great Plains during the late 1800s and to examine Native American policies, private property rights, and the populist movement.

Section 1: Culture Clashes on the Prairie Main Idea: The cattle industry boomed in the late 1800s, as the culture of the Plains Indian declined.

Objective: Contrast the cultures of the Plains Indians and white settlers and explain why white settlers moved west. Questions: 1. What were the characteristics of the Plains Indians’ culture? 2. How did the culture of the white settlers differ from that of the Plains Indians? 3. Why did the settlers continue to push westward?

Objective: Identify the restrictions imposed by the government on native Americans and describe the consequences. Questions: 4. How did the government attempt to deal with the growing conflict between Native Americans and white settlers? 5. Why did the Black Hills become a contested territory between Native Americans and whites? 6. What were the consequences of the defeat of George Custer’s forces?

Objective: Identify the government’s policy of assimilation as well as continuing conflicts between Native Americans and settlers. Questions: 7. What was the Dawes Act and what goals did it seek to achieve? 8. Why was the destruction of the buffalo so detrimental to the Native American way of life? 9. What were the causes and consequences of the Battle of Wounded Knee?

Objective: Trace the development of the cattle industry. Questions: 10. What influence did Spanish ranchers have on the American cowboy? 11. How did the growth of railroads and cities impact the cattle business? 12. Where did the Chilsom Trail run?

Objective: Describe both the myth and reality of the American cowboy and explain the end of the open range. Questions: 13. How did the ordinary cowboy’s life differ from the popular conception of it? 14. What was the long drive? 15. What factors helped bring an end to the open range?

Gold Mining Objective: summarize the role of gold in luring people to the American West and describe people’s experiences in their often fruitless efforts to find gold. Questions: 16. What precious metals drew many miners to the West during the late 1800s? 17. What problems did prospectors face in underground mines? 18. How did “panning” work?

Section 2: Settling on the Great Plains Main Idea: settlers on the Great Plains transformed the lands despite great hardships

Objective: Explain the rapid settlement of the Great Plains due to homesteading. Questions: 19. How did the transcontinental railroad open the West for settlement? 20. How did the federal government encourage western settlement? 21. What steps did the government take to preserve the nation’s dwindling open land space?

Objective: Describe how early settlers survived on the plains and transformed them into profitable farmland. Questions: 22. What forms of shelter did he plains settlers develop? 23. On what technologies did the settlers rely to help them tame the prairie? 24. What hardships did farmers face in the late 1800s?

Section 3: Farmers and the Populist Movement Main Idea: Farmers united to address their economic problems giving rise to the Populist movement.

Objective: Identify problems farmers faced and their cooperative efforts to solve them. Questions: 25. What economic problems did many farmers face during the late 1800s? 26. Why did farmers favor “cheap money”? 27. How did farmers try to address their problems and grievances?

Objective: Explain the rise and fall of the Populist Party. Questions 28. What reform did the Populist Party promote? 29. What were the causes and consequences of the Panic of 1893? 30. Why did the Populist movement collapse?