Heimler's History: Westward Migration After the Civil War

Overview

• Focus: Society and culture of those who settled the frontier (1877-1898)
• Previous video focus: Farming technology and economics
• Main question: Causes and effects of the settlement of the West

Westward Migration

• Post-Civil War: Americans pushed westward for self-sufficiency and independence
• Frontier was largely settled by the late 19th century

Factors Encouraging Migration

• Homestead Act: Offered settlers land
• Transcontinental Railroads: Facilitated access to the west

Life in the West

• Cattle brought to Great Plains; railroads boosted cattle trade
• Romanticized image of cowboys driving cattle
• Barbed wire fencing ended open cattle drives
• Homesteaders, known as "sodbusters," settled and farmed

Land Acquisition

• Only a fifth of settlers got land through Homestead Act
• Many bought land from railroad companies
• Increasing mechanization led to consolidation of farms

Closing of the Frontier

• 1890: U.S. Census Bureau declared frontier officially settled
• Frederick Jackson Turner: Essay on frontier's significance
  • Frontier as a release for American discontent
  • Democratized class and social hierarchies
  • Concern over potential class conflicts post-frontier

Impact on Native Americans

• Lands were already inhabited by large Indian populations
• Reservation System: Indians assigned to live on restricted lands
• Buffalo Decimation: Key factor in undermining Indian life
• Indians became wards of the federal government

Indian Resistance

• Resistance to reservation system led to violence (e.g., Sioux Wars)
• Indian Appropriation Act of 1871: Ended recognition of Indian sovereignty
• Dawes Act of 1887: Divided reservation lands into plots for farming
  • Offered citizenship for assimilation

Assimilationist Movement

• Aimed to end distinct Indian cultures
• Education, vocational training, and Christianization efforts

Ghost Dance Movement

• A resistance movement led by prophet Wavoka
• Ritual intended to remove white settlers

Wounded Knee Massacre

• Last major violent confrontation
• Over 200 Lakota Indians killed
• Marked the end of major Indian resistance

Conclusion

• Encouragement to subscribe and continue learning

This summary captures the key points discussed in the lecture about the societal and cultural impact of westward migration post-Civil War, with a focus on the implications for both settlers and Native American populations.