Westward Expansion: SOCIAL & CULTURAL Development [APUSH Review Unit 6 Topic 3] Period 6: 1865-1898

Beginning in 1865, Americans moved westward seeking self-sufficiency and independence, leading to the closing of the vast frontier by the end of the 19th century. This migration was encouraged by policies like the Homestead Act and the construction of transcontinental railroads.

Settlers brought large numbers of cattle to the Great Plains, giving rise to the cowboy era from the 1860s to 1880s, which ended with the introduction of barbed wire fencing by homesteaders known as 'sodbusters.' Many small farms eventually consolidated into larger agribusiness operations due to agricultural mechanization.

By 1890, the U.S. Census Bureau declared the frontier officially settled, marking the end of a long period of westward expansion. Frederick Jackson Turner's essay, 'The Significance of the Frontier in American History,' published in 1893, argued that the closing of the frontier was concerning because it had always served as an outlet for American discontent and a democratizing force, and its closure could lead to class conflicts similar to those in Europe.

Westward expansion greatly impacted Native American populations, who already inhabited these lands. The federal government implemented the reservation system, confining Indian populations to specific tracts of land, which disrupted their traditional way of life, especially for those dependent on buffalo herds. The decimation of buffalo populations by American migrants further forced Indians onto reservations, making them wards of the federal government.

Native American peoples resisted federal government policies, leading to conflicts like the Sioux Wars. The Indian Appropriation Act of 1871 ended federal recognition of Indian nations' sovereignty, nullifying previous treaties. Despite resistance, constant pressure from settlers, the U.S. Army, and the extinction of buffalo herds forced Native Americans to comply with government demands.

The Dawes Act of 1887 abandoned the reservation system, dividing reservation lands into 160-acre plots for individual Indian farming. This act offered Native Americans U.S. citizenship if they settled on the land and assimilated into American culture, as part of a broader assimilationist movement aimed at ending distinct Indian cultures through education, vocational training, and Christianization.

The Ghost Dance Movement, developed by the prophet Wavoka, spread among Native Americans, promising the return of ancestors and the removal of white settlers through ritualistic dance. However, this period of resistance culminated in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, where the U.S. Army killed over 200 Lakota men, women, and children, effectively ending significant organized Indian resistance.