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Lesson Plans
Out of Many: A History of the American People ©2000
by Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, and Armitage
Focus Lesson 15
Chapter 18: "Conquest and Survival: The Trans-Mississippi West, 1860–1900"
AP* Course Description
- New South and the Last West
- Cattle Kingdom
- Open-range ranching
- Day of the cowboy
- Building the Western railroad
- Subordination of American Indians: dispersal of tribes
- Farming the plains: problems in agriculture
- Mining bonanza
- Cattle Kingdom
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 94–99
- Study Guide, Vol. II: pp. 9–19
- Documents Set, Vol. II: pp. 234–250
- Test Item File: pp. 161–170
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check PHSchool.com for updated links to U.S. history sites.
- Native American History Archives
- National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
- Sierra Club
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History: American Indians and the Natural World
Key Words and Terms
- Western expansion
- Indian Wars
- United States v. Reynolds
- Homestead Act of 1862
- Indian policy
- Western landscape painters
Suggested Pacing
Although the period represented by the growth of the cattle industry and the settling of the West is an exciting time in U.S. history, the teaching of this chapter should focus on the federal government's policies toward Native Americans and settling the West. Two 90-minute class periods on a block schedule or three 45-minute class sessions on a traditional bell schedule are adequate.
Test Strategy
The multiple-choice section of the U.S. history AP* exam is divided into clusters of six to ten or 12 questions that move through U.S. history from the earliest to the latest time periods. One way for students to eliminate answer choices in the multiple-choice section is to determine the related time period of the question and then of each of the choices given in the list of answers for the question. For example, if a question shows a map of the United States and asks students to identify a shaded area, students should check the question before it and the question after it to determine what time frame the map might be showing. If the previous question is about the War of 1812 and the subsequent is about the election of 1828, then the map might be showing the area involved in the Missouri Compromise (1820).
Key Concepts
- Transportation as an impetus to Western expansion
In addition to financing the fighting of the Civil War, Lincoln and the Republican Party were able to provide subsidies to begin the building of a Western railroad system. It was this system that made it possible for people to move west cheaply and easily after the Civil War and take advantage of the Homestead Act, which enabled people to buy 160 acres cheaply if they were willing to live on and work the land for five years. - Misguided reform efforts
In an effort to protect Native Americans from corrupt Bureau of Indian Affairs agents and traders, reformers like Helen Hunt Jackson lobbied the federal government to end recognition of Indian nations and help Native Americans assimilate into the larger society. The Dawes Act of 1887 broke up tribal holdings and gave 160 acres to individuals. Unfortunately, not all the Indians were farmers. The lands they received were ill-suited to farming, and the new farmers were given little help or equipment for farming. Instead of aiding Native Americans, the new law resulted in the end of traditional ways of life.
Summing Up Student Understanding
To provide students with practice in writing analytical essays, have them study the painting by Albert Bierstadt on p. 537 and the poster of Buffalo Bill on p. 538, and then answer the following questions in a brief essay:
- What was the significance of the Western region?
- How did the Western landscape become publicized in the East?
- How did the publicity aid in the first preserves and national parks?
- What stereotypes of Native Americans can be seen in the Buffalo Bill poster?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. II Since 1865, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 3
- The Power of Words: Vol. II From 1865, edited by Breen—Chapter 2
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. II, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 3
- American Experiences: Volume II From 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part One