Chapter 5 Questions/flashcards
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1.Identify three differences between the culture of the Native americans and the culture of the white settlers on the great plains.
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1. Most white settlers were Christian, native Americans weren't 2. Native Americans were usually more prepared for Midwest winters than the newer white settlers (survived more gruel-some winters than whites with stocking up on food, clothing, etc.) 3. Many Native Americans preferred to live and sleep outside during the the spring, summer, and fall while the white settlers depended on their houses for mostly all their shelters.
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2.How effective was the Dawes Act in promoting the assimilation of Native Americans into white culture?
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The Dawes Act was used strip Native Americans of their Identity, heritage, treaty rights and to steal their land. Native Americans lost, over the 47 years of the Act's life, about 90 million acres (360,000 km²) of treaty land, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base. About 90,000 Indians were made landless.
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3. Why did the cattle industry become a big business in the late 1800s?
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All in all, it was all about supply and demand. Beef was highly demanded back east, and ranchers and cowboys had to go in and supply that demand.
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4. How did cowboy culture reflect the ethnic diversity of the United states?
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Roughly 1/3 of cowhands were white, 1/3 were black, and 1/3 were Mexican. Most of the smaller spreads cared less about your skin color than if you could do the job well.
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5. What measures did the government take to support settlement of the frontier?
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the government passed the Homestead Act, which offered 160 acres of land free to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of the household.
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6. How did settlers overcome the callenges of living on the great plains?
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They survived as hunter-gatherers. Most of them worked as farmers and ranchers. Many also worked on the railroads. In the latter part of the century, mining also became a significant source of work.
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7. What economic problems confronted American farmers and other supporters of free silver, how would bimetallism help the economy?
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-fallinfg prices of wheat -rising costs of shipping grain -increasing prices of elaborate machinery -bonanza farms couldn't compete with smaller farms
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8. According to farmers and other supporters of free silver, hiw would bimetallism help the economy?
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Supporters of bimetallism hoped that this measure would stimulate the stagnant economy. Retaining the gold standard would provide a more stable, but expensive, currency.
