Presentation Plus! The American Republic Since 1877
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Chapter Introduction
Section 1 Miners and Ranchers
Section 2 Farming the Plains
Section 3 Native Americans
Chapter Summary
Chapter Assessment
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Chapter Objectives
Section 1: Miners and Ranchers
• Trace the growth of the mining industry in
the West. 
• Describe the ways that new technology
changed open-range ranching.
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Chapter Objectives
Section 2: Farming the Plains
• Explain why and how people began settling
the Plains. 
• Trace the growth of commercial farming on
the Plains.
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Chapter Objectives
Section 3: Native Americans
• Discuss conflicts that arose between the
Plains Indians and American settlers. 
• Summarize problems caused by attempts
to assimilate Native Americans.
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Why It Matters
After the Civil War, a dynamic period in
American history opened–the settlement
of the West. The lives of Western miners,
farmers, and ranchers were often filled with
great hardships, but the wave of American
settlers continued. Railroads hastened this
migration. During this period, many Native
Americans lost their homelands and their
way of life.
The Impact Today
Developments of this period are still
evident today. 
• Native American reservations still
exist in the United States. 
• The myth of the Western hero
is prominent in popular culture.
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continued
on next slide
Guide to Reading
Main Idea
Miners and ranchers settled large areas of the
West. 
Key Terms and Names
• placer mining 
• long drive 
• quartz mining 
• Chisholm Trail 
• Henry Comstock 
• maverick 
• vigilance committee 
• barbed wire
• open range 
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Reading Strategy
Organizing As you read about the development
of the mining industry, complete a graphic
organizer like the one on page 286 of your
textbook, listing the locations of mining booms
and the discoveries made there. 
Reading Objectives
• Trace the growth of the mining industry in
the West. 
• Describe the ways that new technology
changed open-range ranching.
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Section Theme
Economic Factors People migrated to the West
in search of economic opportunity.
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Growth of the Mining Industry
• The growing industries in the East
needed the West’s rich deposits of gold,
silver, and copper. 
• These deposits brought settlers to the
West’s mountain states. 
• Prospectors used simple equipment like
picks, shovels, and pans to mine the
shallow deposits of ore by hand. 
• This process is known as placer mining.
(pages 286–288)
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Growth of the Mining Industry
(cont.)
• Corporations dug deep beneath the
surface to mine the deposits of ore in
a process known as quartz mining. 
• In 1859 prospector Henry Comstock
staked a claim for a silver mine in SixMile Canyon, Nevada. 
• This caused Virginia City, Nevada, to go
from an outpost to a boomtown almost
overnight.
(pages 286–288)
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Growth of the Mining Industry
(cont.)
• Several years later, the mines ran out of
silver and the boomtown became a ghost
town. 
• The cycle of boom and bust was
repeated throughout the mountainous
West. 
• During boom times, crime was a
serious problem. 
• Vigilance committees formed to track
down and punish wrongdoers.
(pages 286–288)
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Growth of the Mining Industry
(cont.)
• Mining helped the growth of Colorado,
the Dakota Territory, and Montana. 
• Mining in Colorado spurred the
building of railroads through the Rocky
Mountains. 
• Denver became the supply point for
the mining areas and the second
largest city in the West after San
Francisco.
(pages 286–288)
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Growth of the Mining Industry
(cont.)
How did the mining industry affect towns and
cities in the West?
Mining caused a cycle of boom and bust–
from boomtown to ghost town. During booms,
crime was a serious problem. Vigilance
committees formed to track down and punish
wrongdoers. The mining industry in Colorado
led to the building of railroads through the
Rocky Mountains. Denver became the supply
point for the mining areas and the second
largest city in the West.
(pages 286–288)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives
• After the Civil War, many Americans
began building large cattle ranches on
the Great Plains. 
• The Texas longhorn was a breed of cattle
that could survive the harsh climate of the
plains. 
• The cattle ranching industry grew in part
because of the open range–vast areas of
grasslands owned by the federal
government. 
• Cattle raisers could graze their herds free
of charge and without boundaries. (pages 288–291)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives (cont.)
• During the Civil War, large numbers of
eastern cattle were slaughtered to feed
the Union and Confederate armies. 
• After the war, beef prices soared. 
• This made it worthwhile to round up the
longhorns. 
• The first long drive in 1866 across the
Great Plains to the railroad in Sedalia,
Missouri, proved that cattle could be
driven north to the rail lines and sold for
10 times the price they could get in Texas.
(pages 288–291)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives (cont.)
• The major route for moving cattle was the
Chisholm Trail that went from Texas to
Abilene, Kansas. 
• A long drive began with the spring
roundup to collect cattle from the open
range. 
• The cattle were divided and branded.

• Then cowboys moved the herds of cattle
along the trails to the rail lines.
(pages 288–291)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives (cont.)
• Most cowboys were former Confederate
army soldiers, a few were Hispanic, and
many were African American. 
• The long cattle drives ended, in part,
when the open range was largely fenced
off with barbed wire. 
• Investors from the East and from Britain
put money into the cattle business,
causing an oversupply of animals on
the market.
(pages 288–291)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives (cont.)
• Prices for cattle greatly dropped. 
• Many ranchers went bankrupt. 
• Also, the harsh winters of 1886–1887
killed many cattle.
(pages 288–291)
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Ranching and Cattle Drives (cont.)
How did the invention and use of barbed
wire affect the cattle industry?
The long cattle drives and open grazing
ended when the open range was largely
fenced off with barbed wire.
(pages 288–291)
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Checking for Understanding
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on
the left.
__
E 1. a stray calf with no identifying
symbol
__
B 2. method of extracting minerals
involving digging beneath the
surface
__
A 3. method of extracting mineral
ore by hand using simple
tools, like picks, shovels, and
pans
__
D 4. driving cattle long distances to
a railroad depot for fast
transport and great profit
__
C 5. vast areas of grassland
owned by the federal
government
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A. placer mining
B. quartz mining
C. open range
D. long drive
E. maverick
Checking for Understanding (cont.)
List the factors that contributed to
the rise of the cattle industry.
Factors include emergence of the
longhorn breed, higher beef prices,
and railroad transportation.
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Checking for Understanding (cont.)
Explain how cattle ranching shifted
from open range to an organized
business operation.
Barbed wire eliminated long drives,
and the cowboy became a ranch hand.
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Reviewing Themes
Economic Factors What two
developments in the late 1800s led
to the decline of the cattle business?
An oversupply of cattle drove down
prices, and the winter of 1886 to 1887
killed a large number of cattle.
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Critical Thinking
Evaluating How did the mining industry
contribute to the development of the
West?
People moved west, towns sprung up,
and railroads expanded.
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Analyzing Visuals
Examining Maps Study the map
detailing the western mining country and
cattle trails on page 289 of your textbook.
Then create your own thematic map
detailing either the cattle country or the
mining country.
Maps will vary.
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Close
Describe the ways new technology
changed open-range ranching.
Guide to Reading
Main Idea
After 1865, settlers staked out homesteads
and began farming the Great Plains. 
Key Terms and Names
• Great Plains 
• dry farming 
• Stephen Long 
• sodbuster 
• Homestead Act 
• Wheat Belt 
• homestead 
• bonanza farm
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Reading Strategy
Organizing As you read about the settlement of
the Great Plains, complete a graphic organizer
similar to the one on page 292 of your textbook
listing the ways the government encouraged
settlement. 
Reading Objectives
• Explain why and how people began settling
the Plains. 
• Trace the growth of commercial farming on
the Plains.
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Section Theme
Science and Technology The need for new
farming techniques in the West led to several
technological innovations.
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Geography of the Plains
• The Great Plains region extends
westward to the Rocky Mountains from
around the 100th meridian–an imaginary
line running north and south from the
central Dakotas through western Texas. 
• Rainfall on the Great Plains averages
less than 20 inches per year. 
• Trees only grow naturally along rivers
and streams and on hilltops. 
• Huge herds of buffalo once grazed on
the prairie grasses of the Great Plains.
(pages 292–293)
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Geography of the Plains (cont.)
• Major Stephen Long explored the Great
Plains with an army expedition in 1819. 
• He called it the “Great American
Desert” and said it was almost entirely
unfit for farming.
(pages 292–293)
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Geography of the Plains (cont.)
What is the geography of the Great Plains?
The Great Plains region extends westward
to the Rocky Mountains from around the
100th meridian–an imaginary line running
north and south from the central Dakotas
through western Texas. Rainfall averages
less than 20 inches per year. Trees only
grow naturally along rivers and streams and
on hilltops.
(pages 292–293)
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The Beginnings of Settlement
• Railroads provided easy access to the
Great Plains. 
• Railroad companies sold land along the
rail lines at low prices and provided
credit. 
• The federal government helped settle the
Great Plains by passing the Homestead
Act in 1862. 
• For $10, a settler could file for a
homestead, or a tract of public land
available for settlement.
(page 293)
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The Beginnings of Settlement (cont.)
• The homesteader could get up to 160
acres of public land and could receive
title of it after living there five years. 
• Settlers on the Plains found life very
difficult. 
• The environment was harsh, with
summer temperatures soaring over
100°F and winter bringing blizzards
and extreme cold. 
• Prairie fires and swarms of
grasshoppers were a danger and
a threat.
(page 293)
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The Beginnings of Settlement (cont.)
How did the railroads and the federal
government help settle the Great
Plains?
Railroads provided easy access to the Great
Plains. Railroad companies sold land along the
rail lines at low prices and provided credit. The
federal government passed the Homestead Act
in 1862. For $10, a settler could file for a
homestead. The homesteader could get up to
160 acres of public land and could receive title
of it after living there five years.
(page 293)
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The Wheat Belt
• Many inventions and new farming
methods made farming on the Great
Plains very profitable. 
• Farmers on the Great Plains used the
dry farming method–planting seeds
deep in the ground where there was
enough moisture for them to grow. 
• By the 1860s, farmers on the Great
Plains were using newly designed
steel plows, seed drills, reapers, and
threshing machines.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
• These machines made dry farming
possible. 
• Farmers could work large tracts of land
with the machines. 
• Farmers who plowed the soil on the
Great Plains were called sodbusters. 
• Many of them lost their homesteads
because of drought, wind erosion, and
overuse of the land.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
• During the 1860s and 1870s, new
technology, such as the mechanical
reapers and binders and threshing
machines, made farming more
profitable. 
• The innovations were also well suited
for harvesting wheat. 
• Wheat withstood drought better than
other crops, so it became the most
important crop on the Great Plains.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
• Wheat farmers from Minnesota and other
Midwestern states moved to the Great
Plains in large numbers to take
advantage of the inexpensive land and
the new farming technology. 
• The Wheat Belt began at the eastern
edge of the Great Plains and included
much of the Dakotas and the western
parts of Nebraska and Kansas.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
• Some wheat farms, called bonanza
farms, were much larger than singlefamily farms and covered up to 50,000
acres. 
• These farms often brought the owners
large profits. 
• Several events caused Great Plains
farmers to fall on hard times. 
• In the 1890s, a glut of wheat caused
prices to drop.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
• Some farmers lost their land because
they could not repay bank loans they
had taken out. 
• A prolonged drought that began in the
1880s forced many farmers to return
to the East.
(pages 294–295)
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The Wheat Belt (cont.)
Why did much of the Great Plains region
become the Wheat Belt?
Wheat withstood drought better than other
crops, so it became the most important crop
on the Great Plains. Wheat farmers from
Minnesota and other Midwestern states
moved to the Great Plains in large numbers
to take advantage of the inexpensive land
and the new farming technology.
(pages 294–295)
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Closing the Frontier
• In 1890 the Census Bureau reported that
the frontier was closing. 
• This news concerned those who believed
that land at the frontier provided a place
for Americans to make a fresh start. 
• Many settlers in the Great Plains did
make a fresh start. 
• They adapted to the environment by
getting water from deep wells and getting
supplies and building materials that the
railroads had shipped.
(page 295)
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Closing the Frontier (cont.)
Why was the Census Bureau’s report of
1890 disturbing to some people?
The news that the frontier was closing
concerned those who believed that the
frontier offered a place for Americans to
make a fresh start.
(page 295)
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Checking for Understanding
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on
the left.
__
A 1. method of acquiring a piece of
U.S. public land by living on
and cultivating it
__
C 2. a name given to Great Plains
farmers
__
D 3. a large, highly-profitable
wheat farm
__
B 4. a way of farming dry land in
which seeds are planted deep
in the ground where there is
some moisture
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A. homestead
B. dry farming
C. sodbuster
D. bonanza farm
Checking for Understanding (cont.)
Explain why the Great Plains was not
suitable for homesteading.
Geography and climate made the Great
Plains not suitable for homesteading.
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Reviewing Themes
Science and Technology How did the
need for new farming techniques on the
Great Plains result in technological
innovations in agriculture?
Mechanical reapers, binders, and
threshing machines were all created
to help farmers harvest large tracts
of farmland quickly.
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Critical Thinking
Analyzing What factors contributed
to the making of the Wheat Belt in the
Great Plains and then to troubled times
for wheat farmers in the 1890s?
The Homestead Act and new farming
techniques and equipment helped
develop the Wheat Belt. Good harvests
and world competition caused
a glut that caused prices to drop.
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Analyzing Visuals
Examining Photographs Study the
photograph on page 293 of your
textbook of farmers using binding
machines in western Wisconsin. Based
on the terrain and the type of work they
needed to do, what other types of
technology would have helped farmers
on the Plains?
Possible answer: Windmills would have
helped by supplying power and irrigation.
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Close
Study commercial farming in the Plains.
Guide to Reading
Main Idea
The settlement of the West dramatically changed
the way of life of the Plains Indians. 
Key Terms and Names
• nomad 
• Ghost Dance 
• annuity 
• assimilate 
• Little Crow 
• allotment 
• Indian Peace
Commission 
• Dawes Act
• George A. Custer 
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Reading Strategy
Sequencing As you read about the crisis facing
Native Americans during the late 1800s,
complete a time line similar to the one on
page 297 of your textbook to record the
battles between Native Americans and the
U.S. government and the results of each. 
Reading Objectives
• Discuss conflicts that arose between the
Plains Indians and American settlers. 
• Summarize problems caused by attempts
to assimilate Native Americans.
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Guide to Reading (cont.)
Section Theme
Individual Action Some Native American
groups fought the federal government in an
attempt to keep their ancestral homelands.
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to listen to the audio again.
Culture of the Plains Indians
• Some Native American nations of the
Great Plains lived in communities and
farmed and hunted. 
• Most Native Americans of the Great
Plains were nomads who moved from
place to place in search of food. 
• They followed the herds of buffalo. 
• Native American groups of the Great
Plains had several things in common. 
• They lived in extended family networks
and had a close relationship with nature.
(pages 297–298)
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Culture of the Plains Indians (cont.)
• They were divided into bands with a
governing council. 
• Most Native American groups
practiced a religion based on a belief
in the spiritual power of the natural
world.
(pages 297–298)
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Culture of the Plains Indians (cont.)
What was the culture of the Great Plains
Indians?
Some Native Americans of the Great Plains
lived in communities and farmed and hunted.
Most Native Americans of the Great Plains
were nomads who followed herds of buffalo.
Native American groups lived in extended
family networks and had a close relationship
with nature. They were divided into bands with
a governing council. They practiced a religion
based on a belief in the spiritual power of the
natural world.
(pages 297–298)
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Cultures Under Pressure
• Native Americans had been under
pressure for years from advancing white
settlement. 
• In 1862 the Sioux in Minnesota launched
a major uprising. 
• The Dakota Sioux agreed to live on a
small reservation in Minnesota, in
exchange for annuities paid by the
federal government to the reservation
dwellers. 
• The annuities were very small and often
taken from them by American traders.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
• In 1862 Congress delayed payments of
the annuities. 
• Some Sioux began starving. 
• Chief Little Crow asked traders to
give his people food on credit. 
• His request was denied. 
• The Dakota began an uprising that led
to the deaths of hundreds of settlers.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
• The U.S. army sent patrols into the
northern Great Plains to prevent further
uprisings among the Sioux there. 
• The Lakota Sioux were nomads who
feared losing their hunting grounds. 
• In December 1866, Chief Red Cloud’s
forces defeated a U.S. army
detachment in Montana in what is
called Fetterman’s Massacre.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
• In the 1860s, tensions between the
Cheyenne and Arapaho Native
Americans and the miners in Colorado
increased. 
• Bands of Native Americans attacked
wagon trains and ranches in Colorado.

• The territorial governor ordered the
Native Americans to peacefully surrender
at Fort Lyon.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
• Chief Black Kettle brought hundreds of
Cheyenne to the fort to negotiate. 
• Instead of negotiating peace with the
Cheyenne, the U.S. army attacked them
in what has become known as the Sand
Creek Massacre. 
• In 1867 Congress formed an Indian
Peace Commission, which proposed
creating two large reservations on the
Plains. 
• The Bureau of Indian Affairs would run
the reservations.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
• The U.S. army would deal with any
groups that did not report to or remain
on the reservations. 
• This plan was doomed to failure. 
• Signing treaties did not ensure that
the government or Native Americans
would abide by their terms.
(pages 298–300)
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Cultures Under Pressure (cont.)
What events led to the formation of the
Indian Peace Commission?
Fetterman’s Massacre, the Sand Creek
Massacre, and several other conflicts
between Native Americans of the Plains
and white settlers and the U.S. army
convinced Congress to create the Indian
Peace Commission.
(pages 298–300)
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The Last Native American Wars
• By the 1870s, buffalo were rapidly
disappearing. 
• By 1889 very few buffalo remained. 
• The buffalo were killed by migrants
crossing the Great Plains, professional
buffalo hunters who wanted their hides,
sharpshooters hired by railroads, and
hunters who killed them for sport.
(pages 301–302)
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The Last Native American Wars
(cont.)
• Many Native Americans left their
reservations to hunt buffalo on the open
plains. 
• In addition, when American settlers
violated the treaties, the Native Americans
saw no reason to abide by them. 
• In 1876 the Lakota left their reservation
to hunt near the Bighorn Mountains in
southeastern Montana. 
• The U.S. government sent army troops
after the Lakota.
(pages 301–302)
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The Last Native American Wars
(cont.)
• George A. Custer, commander of
the Seventh Cavalry, divided his forces
and attacked the Lakota and Cheyenne
warriors camped at the Little Bighorn
River. 
• The Native Americans killed all the
soldiers. 
• Sitting Bull and his followers fled to
Canada. 
• Other Lakotas were forced to return
to the reservation.
(pages 301–302)
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The Last Native American Wars
(cont.)
• The Nez Perce, led by Chief
Joseph, refused to move to a reservation
in Idaho in 1877. 
• They fled, but later were forced to
surrender and move to Oklahoma. 
• At the Lakota Sioux reservation in 1890,
the Lakota were ordered by a government
agent to stop the Ghost Dance–a ritual
that was celebrating the hope that the
whites would disappear, the buffalo would
return, and Native Americans would
reunite with their ancestors.
(pages 301–302)
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The Last Native American Wars
(cont.)
• The dancers fled the reservation
and were chased by the U.S. troops
to Wounded Knee Creek. 
• Many Lakota were killed. 
• This was the final Native American
resistance to federal authority.
(pages 301–302)
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The Last Native American Wars
(cont.)
Why did many Native Americans leave their
reservations?
They preferred hunting buffalo on the open
Plains, so they joined others who had left
the reservations. Many Native Americans
saw no reason to abide by treaties that
were violated by the whites.
(pages 301–302)
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Assimilation
• Some Americans had opposed the
treatment of Native Americans. 
• Some people thought that the situation
between whites and Native Americans
could be improved if Native Americans
could assimilate, or be absorbed into
American society as landowners and
citizens.
(page 302)
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Assimilation (cont.)
• This included breaking up reservations
into individual allotments, where Native
Americans would live in families and
support themselves. 
• This became the policy when Congress
passed the Dawes Act in 1887. 
• The Dawes Act was a failure. 
• Few Native Americans had the training
or enthusiasm for farming or ranching. 
• They found the allotments too small to
be profitable.
(page 302)
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Assimilation (cont.)
• Few Native Americans were willing or
able to adopt the American settlers’
lifestyles in place of their own culture.
(page 302)
Assimilation (cont.)
Why was the idea of assimilation of the
Native Americans a failure?
Few Native Americans had the training or
enthusiasm for farming or ranching. They
found the allotments too small to be
profitable. Few Native Americans were
willing or able to adopt the American
settlers’ lifestyles in place of their own
culture.
(page 302)
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Checking for Understanding
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on
the left.
__
A 1. a person who moves from
place to place, usually in
search of food or grazing land
__
C 2. to absorb a group into the
culture of a larger population
__
D 3. a plot of land assigned to an
individual family for cultivation
__
B 4. money paid by contract on
regular intervals
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A. nomad
B. annuity
C. assimilate
D. allotment
Checking for Understanding (cont.)
Analyze how Native Americans
responded to land lost due to white
settlement of the Great Plains.
Native Americans attacked wagon trains
and ranches, and they killed settlers and
soldiers.
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Reviewing Themes
Individual Action How did Chief
Joseph resist the government’s attempts
to move the Nez Perce to reservations?
Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce fled
1,300 miles before surrendering.
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Critical Thinking
Analyzing Why do you think the
government’s policy of assimilation
of Native Americans was a failure?
After the buffalo herds were wiped out,
Native Americans were unwilling or
unable to live like American settlers.
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Analyzing Visuals
Analyzing Maps Examine the map of
battle sites and reservations on page
300 of your textbook. Then, from the
point of view of a historian, explain the
actions taken against Native Americans
within the historical context of the time.
Answers will vary.
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Close
Summarize problems caused by attempts
to assimilate Native Americans.
Reviewing Key Terms
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on
the left.
__
H 1. money paid by contract on
regular intervals
A.
placer mining
B.
quartz mining
__
B 2. method of extracting minerals
involving digging beneath the
surface
C.
open range
D.
maverick
__
D 3. a stray calf with no identifying
symbol
E.
dry farming
F.
sodbuster
__
I 4. to absorb a group into the
culture of a larger population
G.
bonanza farm
H.
annuity
I.
assimilate
J.
allotment
__
E 5. a way of farming dry land in
which seeds are planted deep
in the ground where there is
some moisture
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Reviewing Key Terms (cont.)
Define Match the terms on the right with their definitions on
the left.
__
F 6. a name given to Great Plains
farmers
A.
placer mining
B.
quartz mining
__
A 7. method of extracting mineral
ore by hand using simple
tools, like picks, shovels, and
pans
C.
open range
D.
maverick
E.
dry farming
__
G 8. a large, highly-profitable
wheat farm
F.
sodbuster
__
J 9. a plot of land assigned to an
individual family for cultivation
G.
bonanza farm
H.
annuity
I.
assimilate
J.
allotment
__
C 10. vast areas of grassland
owned by the federal
government
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Reviewing Key Facts
What led to the start of boomtowns,
and what caused their decline?
The discovery of copper, gold, or silver
led to the start of boomtowns. When
a lode played out, mines closed
and the towns’ economies collapsed.
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Reviewing Key Facts (cont.)
What new invention finally brought an
end to the open range on the Great
Plains?
Barbed wire brought an end to the open
range.
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Reviewing Key Facts (cont.)
How did the railroads boost the
settlement of the West?
Railroad companies sold land along
rail lines at low prices, provided credit
to prospective settlers, and
advertised the benefits of booking
passage to the Plains.
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Reviewing Key Facts (cont.)
Why was wheat a suitable crop to grow
on the Great Plains?
Wheat could be cultivated using dry
farming.
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Reviewing Key Facts (cont.)
What events brought the way of life
of the Plains Indians to an end?
White settlers moving west, railroad
construction, the widespread slaughter
of buffalo, and wars brought the Plains
Indians’ way of life to an end.
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Critical Thinking
Analyzing Themes: Economic Factors
Do you think that people moved to and
settled in the West primarily for
economic reasons? Why or why not?
Many did move for the hope of riches;
others for adventure, freedom, or a fresh
start.
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Critical Thinking (cont.)
Drawing Conclusions Why do you
think that so many people were willing
to give up their homes and move to
mining towns and homesteads in the
West?
Many settlers thought that they could
prosper in the West.
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Geography and History
The graph below shows Native American population
from1850 to 1900. Study the graph and answer the
questions on the following slides.
Geography and History (cont.)
Interpreting Graphs
What does the graph
indicate about Native
American populations
between 1850 and
1900?
The populations
declined steadily.
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Geography and History (cont.)
Understanding Cause
and Effect What
factor caused the
Native American
populations to decline
sharply between 1880
and 1890?
Native Americans
suffered high casualty
rates in conflicts with
white settlers.
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Directions: Choose the best answer to the following question.
Which of the following factors provided an incentive for
people to try to farm the Great Plains?
A Long cattle drives
B Barbed wire
C The Homestead Act
D Placer mining
Test-Taking Tip When you are not sure of an answer, it can
be helpful to use the process of elimination. Eliminate the
answers that you know are incorrect. For instance, long cattle
drives had to do with ranching, not farming. Therefore, you
can eliminate answer A.
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How did dry farming damage
the ecology of the prairie?
Dry farming contributed to soil
erosion and massive dust storms.
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Explore online information about the topics
introduced in this chapter.
Click on the Connect button to launch your browser and go to
The American Republic Since 1877 Web site. At this site, you will
find interactive activities, current events information, and Web
sites correlated with the chapters and units in the textbook. When
you finish exploring, exit the browser program to return to this
presentation. If you experience difficulty connecting to the Web
site, manually launch your Web browser and go to
http://tarvol2.glencoe.com
Language Arts Hamlin Garland vividly
recorded the hard life of the Plains farmers. In
books such as Main-Travelled Roads (1891) and
A Son of the Middle Border (1917), Garland told
“a tale of toil that’s never done.” Although his
stories included many moments of joy, such as
harvest time, and of great beauty, such as the
arrival of spring, Garland refused to paint life on
the Plains as always perfect. “I will not lie,” he
wrote. “A proper portion of the sweat, flies, heat,
dirt, and drudgery shall go in.”
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to listen to the audio again.
Stray Cattle Unbranded animals were called
mavericks after cattle rancher Samuel A.
Maverick, who shunned the practice of
branding. Today, the term maverick is often
used to identify an independent individual.
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show Many Americans who never set foot
on the Great Plains enjoyed a make-believe excursion there through a
Wild-West show. Various promoters staged these popular
extravaganzas, but the most famous was Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
Members of the cast performed a mock buffalo hunt with real buffalo,
and they reenacted Custer’s defeat at the Little Bighorn. Among the
stars of the show was Annie Oakley, a sharpshooter from Ohio who
appeared in Western outfit and dazzled both the audience and her
fellow performers.
Annie Get Your Gun, a musical interpretation of Annie Oakley’s exploits,
opened on Broadway in 1946 with Ethel Merman starring as Oakley.
Irving Berlin wrote the music and lyrics based on the book written by
Herbert and Dorothy Fields. The musical had a long run on Broadway,
was made into a movie, and is a favorite for school and community
productions. Perhaps the most recognizable songs from the show are
“Anything You Can Do (I can do better)” and “There’s No Business Like
Show Business.”
Interpreting Statistics
Often presented in graphs and tables, statistics
are collections of data that are used to support
a claim or an opinion. The ability to interpret
statistics allows us to understand probable
effects and to make predictions.
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to listen to the audio again.
Interpreting Statistics
Learning the Skill
Use the following steps to help you interpret statistical
information. 
• Scan the graph or table, reading the title and labels
to get an idea of what is being shown. 
• Examine the statistics shown, looking for increases
and decreases, similarities and differences.
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Interpreting Statistics
Learning the Skill (cont.)
• Look for a correlation in the statistics. Two sets of
data may be related or unrelated. If they are related,
we say that there is a correlation between them. In a
positive correlation, as one number rises, so does
the other number. In a negative correlation, as one
number rises, the other number falls. For example,
there is a positive correlation between academic
achievement and wages, and there is a negative
correlation between smoking and life expectancy.
Sometimes, statistics may try to show a correlation
when none exists. For example, a report that “people
who go fishing are less likely to get cancer” may be
statistically true but lack any real correlation.
Interpreting Statistics
Learning the Skill (cont.)
• Determine the conclusions you can draw from the
statistics.
Interpreting Statistics
Practicing the Skill
Study the table below and answer the questions on the
following slide.
Interpreting Statistics
Practicing the Skill (cont.)
1. What claim does this set of statistics seem to
support?
As the number of miles of track increased, the Native
American population declined.
2. Is there a correlation between miles of railroad tracks
and the Native American population? Is the
correlation positive or negative? Explain.
You may see a negative correlation, but other data
would be needed to support the conclusion that an
increase in railroad track caused a reduction in
Native American population.
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Life in the West
Objectives
After viewing “Life in the West,” you should: 
• Realize that a cowboy's life was often quite difficult. 
• Understand that American
cowboys were of many
different races and ethnicities. 
• Know that much of the cowboy
culture originated with the
Spanish.
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Life in the West
Discussion Questions
Why did many African Americans
become cowboys?
As slaves, they grew up around horses.
After the Civil War, when they obtained
freedom, they became cowboys because
they were already familiar with many
aspects of the way of life.
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Life in the West
Discussion Questions
What goods did California produce? What region
of the country wanted California’s goods and
why? How did the goods get there?
California produced hides and tallow. The leather
was sent to the Northeast where it became the
basis for the shoe industry. Traders went from
California to the Northeast by going “around the
horn,” which means sailing around South
America.
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