Impact of Westward Expansion on
Native Americans
STANDARD USII.4a
The student will demonstrate knowledge of how life
changed after the Civil War by
a)
identifying the reasons for westward expansion,
including its impact on American Indians.
Essential Vocabulary
 Assimilation- changing your ways to fit in somewhere else
or to live by the rules of a place
 Expansion- growing bigger
 Forced relocation- making a group of people leave their
homes and go somewhere else, commonly done to Native
American tribes
Essential Vocabulary
 Lifestyle- the way someone lives their life; their
home, food, music, culture
 Opposition- to fight against
 Population- the number of people in an area
Essential Vocabulary
 Reservation- land set aside for Native Americans
 Treaty- an agreement between two or more
governments or groups of people
Vocabulary Review
 Define “opposition”.
 What term means “land set aside for Native Americans”?
 What term means “changing your ways to fit in”?
Essential Question
How did the lives of American
Indians change with western
expansion?
Essential People
 Sitting Bull- a leader of
the Lakota Sioux who
defeated Gen. Custer at
the Battle of Little Big
Horn, but was later
killed by the U.S. Army
Essential People
 Gen. Custer- Civil
War leader best
known for his defeat
at the Battle of Little
Bighorn, which is
often called Custer’s
Last Stand
Essential People
 Geronimo- an Apache
warrior who fought against
the Mexican and American
armies to protect his tribes
land. He finally surrendered
late in his 70s and became
famous for his courage.
Essential People
 Nez Perce- A
northwestern tribe
who tried to escape
forced relocation by
following their
leader, Chief Joseph
Essential People
 Chief Joseph- leader of the
Nez Perce people during
their attempted escape from
forced relocation. He was
forced to surrender just short
of the Canadian border and
was never allowed to return
to his home.
People Review
 Who led the winning side at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
 Who led the losing side of the Battle of Little Bighorn?
 Who tried to lead his people, the Nez Perce, to freedom?
 Who was the Apache leader known for his bravery?
Essential Knowledge
What was the impact of westward
expansion on Native Americans?
 Violent opposition by
American Indians to
westward expansion
(Battle of Little
Bighorn, Sitting Bull,
Geronimo)
What was the impact of westward expansion
on Native Americans?
 Forced relocation
from traditional lands
to reservations (Chief
Joseph, Nez Percé)
Mini Review
 Which Native American victory is also known as “Custer’s
Last Stand”?
 Which man tried to lead his people to freedom, but was
forced to surrender near the Canadian border?
 What was the name of the tribe of the above mentioned man?
What was the impact of westward
expansion on Native Americans?
 Reduced population
through warfare and
disease (Battle of
Wounded Knee)
What was the impact of westward expansion
on Native Americans?
 Assimilation attempts
and lifestyle changes
(e.g., reduction of
buffalo population)
What was the impact of westward expansion
on Native Americans?
 Reduced their homelands through treaties that were
broken
Final few
 The killing of what animal led to the downfall of many
Native American tribes?
 The breaking of what led to the reduction of the homelands
many Native American tribes?