BAGPIPE:
B-The American Indians held onto their beliefs even after forced attempts at assimilation. The concept of being a community wouldn’t leave Indian life. However, their culture ended up blending with white culture. The Ghost Dance movements showed the mix between these two cultures. The American Indians tried to wish away the whites through sacred dances and resurrecting a buffalo. These movements gained Christian elements as it spread.
A-People started to move West for economic opportunity, disrupting their lives. Railroads were being built as a result of the increase in migration. People were encouraged to move West, especially by the government.
P- In order to create a clear path into the West, the government had set some land in the Dakota Territory and Oklahoma aside. After an attempt to resist, they became exhausted and ended up moving. As a result, there were many attempts at assimilating the Indians.
E-American Indians began to trade with white traders, causing them to rely on those products, such as weapons. The American Indians also heavily relied on buffalo, as it provided food and clothing. Many herds of buffalo had been wiped out.
A-People started to move West for economic opportunity, disrupting their lives. Railroads were being built as a result of the increase in migration. People were encouraged to move West, especially by the government.
P- In order to create a clear path into the West, the government had set some land in the Dakota Territory and Oklahoma aside. After an attempt to resist, they became exhausted and ended up moving. As a result, there were many attempts at assimilating the Indians.
E-American Indians began to trade with white traders, causing them to rely on those products, such as weapons. The American Indians also heavily relied on buffalo, as it provided food and clothing. Many herds of buffalo had been wiped out.
Thesis:
The American Indians impacted the growth of the West in that their territory was in an important position of Westward Expansion in that it could be used for agriculture and space for railroads. However, American Indians were not a significant part of the growth of the West because the government was still able to move them and take their land away from them and the Indians were unable to stop settlers from invading their land and destroying their way of life.
paragraph:
The American Indians did not have the power to stop settlers from disrupting their way of life. The many tribes of the Great Plains were displaced as a result of their territory being taken away. While the American Indians were deemed as a burden to those who were migrating, they still didn’t impact the West’s growth. Whether or not the Indians were there, growth was inevitable, as the Manifest Destiny was a popular idea. With this idea, people move West in search of economic opportunities, especially because of the California Gold Rush and Lincoln’s Homestead Act. These two factors heavily contributed to the growth of the West. Meanwhile, the settlers had ignored the Indians, which is evident through the wiped out buffalo population. The government also didn’t see the Indians as an important group, leading to their forced movement to places like Oklahoma and the Dakota Territory. After the Indians were removed, the West still experienced great growth, proving that the Indians had no effect on the overall growth in this region.
primary documents:
“Slaughtered for Hide” Harper’s Weekly 1874H: Westward Expansion, Manifest Destiny led to migration to the West
I: The audience of this was the people on the eastern coast who haven’t been to the West. This was also most likely a white audience who didn’t understand the ramifications of killing of the buffalo population for the American Indians P: The purpose of this was to depict the practices that occur in the West, such as the decimation of buffalo for their hide POV: This was written in the point of view of white man who is travelling West and didn’t care too much about how the American Indians could be affected by settlers. |
”Touring Indian Country, 1888 and 1894”H: Moving West was highly encouraged, especially by the government. Many people resented the American Indians because they were seen as a burden to movement West, leading to many measures being taken to move these tribes to different regions through coercion.
I: This was mainly for a white audience and those who haven’t gone West yet. P: This was written to encourage people to move West by making it seem as if the land of the Plains would be put to good use of white people were in charge of it instead of American Indians. POV: This was written in the point of view of a white man who thinks that the American Indians are incapable of farming. He also works for a railroad company, so he is writing this for his own economic interests. |
”Ancient Society” by Lewis Henry Morgan, 1877
H: Through the Manifest Destiny, many people are migrating West, but are also observing the American Indian lifestyle because they live in the Plains. Because they have a different lifestyle, many view these people as inferior.
I: This was meant for the educated, white people who live on the East.
P: Morgan wanted to reinforce the idea that the Indians were “savages” and “barbarians” who were the lowest groups of civilization.
POV: This was written in the point of view of a white man who, although studied this group of people extensively, still believed that the American Indians were inferior and “ancient”.
I: This was meant for the educated, white people who live on the East.
P: Morgan wanted to reinforce the idea that the Indians were “savages” and “barbarians” who were the lowest groups of civilization.
POV: This was written in the point of view of a white man who, although studied this group of people extensively, still believed that the American Indians were inferior and “ancient”.