Westward Expansion

Also featuring Native American Conflicts

In this SMORE

In this SMORE

1. Why did the California Gold Rush and the discovery of the Comstock Lode bring settlers out west?

2. Summarize three battles of the Indian Wars.

3. How did the Dawes Act attempt to Americanize the Indians?

4. Summarize the main point of Helen Hunt Jackson's "Century of Dishonor."

The Discovery of The Comstock Lode and The Gold Rush

Both the discovery of the Comstock Lode and the gold rush in California brought settlers out west for different reasons. The Comstock lode brought people that were in the search of silver and had less harsh conditions than the gold rush. The gold rush brought people out west because the promise of riches in gold was for most too promising to turn down.
3 Major Indian War Battles.

3 Major Indian War Battles.

The Sand Creek Massacre was a major battle in the events of the Indian Wars. The massacre was the killing of 270 natives in retaliation of raids on settlers villages. The Battle of Little Big Horn was also a major battle. The battle was going to be a sneak attack on the Sioux but ended up a huge loss on George Custer's side. he and all of his men were killed. The battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota ended with 150 dead on the Sioux's end and led to fewer conflicts.

The Dawes Act and the Americanizing of natives

The Dawes act was put into place by congress in 1887 and led to the forcing down of tribal organizations and the disbandment of reservations for the natives. The reservations were spit into equal land quadrants that were then given to the Indians.

Century of Dishonor

The novel Century of Dishonor written by Helen Jackson was a book about all of the crimes and discrimination made towards the Native Americans. The novel was a big start to the Indian wars but also made many Americans realize that what they had been doing was not right or just to the Indians.