17. Go West Young Man! Westward Expansion, 1840-1900

Key Terms

Americanization

the process by which an Indian was “redeemed” and assimilated into the American way of life by changing his clothing to western clothing and renouncing his tribal customs in exchange for a parcel of land

Battle of Wounded Knee

an attempt to disarm a group of Lakota Sioux Indians near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, which resulted in members of the Seventh Cavalry of the U.S. Army opening fire and killing over 150 Indians

bonanza farms

large farms owned by speculators who hired laborers to work the land; these large farms allowed their owners to benefit from economies of scale and prosper, but they did nothing to help small family farms, which continued to struggle

California Gold Rush

the period between 1848 and 1849 when prospectors found large strikes of gold in California, leading others to rush in and follow suit; this period led to a cycle of boom and bust through the area, as gold was discovered, mined, and stripped

Comstock Lode

the first significant silver find in the country, discovered by Henry T. P. Comstock in 1859 in Nevada

exodusters

a term used to describe African Americans who moved to Kansas from the Old South to escape the racism there

Fence Cutting War

this armed conflict between cowboys moving cattle along the trail and ranchers who wished to keep the best grazing lands for themselves occurred in Clay County, Texas, between 1883 and 1884

las Gorras Blancas

the Spanish name for White Caps, the rebel group of Hispanic Americans who fought back against the appropriation of Hispanic land by whites; for a period in 1889–1890, they burned farms, homes, and crops to express their growing anger at the injustice of the situation

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that the expansion of the United States across the American continents was both justified and inevitable. Rooted in the 1840s, Manifest Destiny became a rallying cry for expansionists and was used to justify the annexation of Texas, the Oregon Trail, and the Mexican-America

Sand Creek Massacre

November 29, 1864

sod house

a frontier home constructed of dirt held together by thick-rooted prairie grass that was prevalent in the Midwest; sod, cut into large rectangles, was stacked to make the walls of the structure, providing an inexpensive, yet damp, house for western settlers

Cultural Assimilation

Late 19th-century U.S. policy aimed at integrating Native Americans into mainstream society.

Economic Opportunity

Economic incentives were central to westward migration, attracting settlers, immigrants, and entrepreneurs.

Homestead Act of 1862

Federal law granting 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee after five years of residence and improvement. Aimed to encourage western migration and settlement.

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

Federal law prohibiting the immigration of Chinese laborers. First major law restricting immigration by nationality.

Dawes Act of 1887

Federal law that divided tribal lands into individual allotments to promote assimilation of Native Americans.

Wounded Knee Massacre

December 29, 1890

Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

May 10, 1869