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The early settlement of the West, c1835 to c1862
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The Plains were home to Indigenous peoples with their own ways of life. From the 1830s, migrants began crossing them to reach Oregon and California.
Indigenous peoples of the Plains
Nations such as the Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne lived in bands led by chiefs, with councils and warrior societies.
Many were nomadic, following the buffalo, which provided food, tipis, clothing and tools.
They saw land as sacred and not something to own. War aimed at honour, such as counting coup, rather than large death tolls.
Many were nomadic, following the buffalo, which provided food, tipis, clothing and tools.
They saw land as sacred and not something to own. War aimed at honour, such as counting coup, rather than large death tolls.
Migration and settlement
Reasons to go west: belief in Manifest Destiny (Americans' God-given right to spread across the continent), cheap land on the Oregon Trail (from 1836), and the California Gold Rush (1849).
The journey was dangerous. The Donner Party was trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada in 1846 to 47; many died.
The Mormons, led by Brigham Young, moved to Salt Lake in 1846 to 47 to escape persecution, and made the desert farmable by careful planning and irrigation.
The journey was dangerous. The Donner Party was trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada in 1846 to 47; many died.
The Mormons, led by Brigham Young, moved to Salt Lake in 1846 to 47 to escape persecution, and made the desert farmable by careful planning and irrigation.
Conflict and tension
Government policy at first kept Indigenous peoples beyond a 'Permanent Indian Frontier', but migration broke this down.
The Indian Appropriations Act (1851) funded moving tribes onto reservations. The Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) set tribal lands and promised safe passage for migrants, in return for payments.
Mining towns and settlements were often lawless. Settlers sometimes formed vigilance committees.
The Indian Appropriations Act (1851) funded moving tribes onto reservations. The Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) set tribal lands and promised safe passage for migrants, in return for payments.
Mining towns and settlements were often lawless. Settlers sometimes formed vigilance committees.
Explain why the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) was important.
- It recognised tribal lands and promised yearly payments.
- In return, Indigenous peoples allowed migrants safe passage.
- It marked a shift towards confining tribes to defined areas, a step towards reservations.
Answer: It traded safe passage for promises, and began restricting Indigenous lands.
Plains peoples: bands, buffalo, sacred land, counting coup. Manifest Destiny, Oregon Trail from 1836, Gold Rush 1849, Donner Party, Mormons to Salt Lake 1847. Permanent Indian Frontier; Appropriations Act and Fort Laramie Treaty 1851; lawlessness.
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