Westward Expansion

Item A

• What was life like as an Indian living in the Great Plains?

• The way of life of the Great Plains Indians was dictated by climate, land, natural raw materials available and the animals, fish, birds, plants, nuts, berries and trees. Their subsistence was related to agriculture and hunting. The natural resources and materials available provided the food and the clothing of the Great Plains Indians. The weather and the changing seasons also affected their way of life at different times of the year.

Item B

• How important was the buffalo to the Indians?

• The buffalo were incredibly important to the Plains Indians; their way of life and survival depended on them. Since there were so few resources on the Great Plains, the Plains Indians developed skills to use as much as the buffalo as possible.

Item C

• What did “Custer's Last Stand cause between the Indians and the US?

• Custer's Last Stand caused massive debate in the East. War hawks demanded an immediate increase in federal military spending and swift judgment for the noncompliant Sioux.

Item D

• Explain the purpose of this advertisement?

• The purpose of this ad was to persuade people of the United States to join US Volunteer Cavalry to fight the “hostile Indians”  

Item F

• How does that image relate to the conflict between the United States and the Indians?

• The train with people shooting on the side with railroad tracks behind the train represents America and their Westward Expansion by spreading their technology across North America and the bulls represent the Indians, fleeing away from the train and being forced to evacuate from their home.

Item H

• Why does Elinore want people to leave Denver and start homesteading?

• Elinore says that Denver is a poor city and that people will receive a lot of benefits by homesteading, “It really requires less strength and labor to raise plenty to satisfy a large family than it does to go out to wash, with the added satisfaction of knowing that their job will not be lost to them if they care to keep it”.

Item I

• What is different about this Indian in the two pictures?

• The US “Americanized” this Indian to make him look normal to the public, so they spified this person by cutting his hair and making it straight with gel and had him wear a suit to look like an American.

Item J

• Due to Indian places being reserved by the US Government, do you think if they had to obey federal laws?

• Only federal and tribal laws apply to members of the tribe, unless Congress provides otherwise. In federal law, the Assimilative Crimes Act makes any violation of state criminal law a federal offense on reservations.