United Americans after the Civil War - Article Example

Chapter Worksheet Part One: Terms Determine the most significant terms from the chapters and list them below Alexander Toponce 2. Golden Spike 3. Central Pacific Railroad Co. 4. Union Pacific Railroad Co. 5. American West 6. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 7. White Caps 8. Helen Hunt Jackson 9. "Custers Last Stand" 10. Dawes Severalty Act From the above list, elaborate on five terms: 1. ___American West_______ • United Americans after the Civil War, both Northerners and Southerners • Promised new lands and abundant natural resources • Expansion of the US, allowing it to have access to both Pacific and Atlantic Ocean • Much land acquired from the Native Americans • Opened up a lot of land for citizen ownership • Rise of Gold Rush and search for other Precious Metals • Acquired much territory from Arizona, California, and New Mexico • With the aforementioned, much Hispanic residents were now on American land • Led to Native American uprisings and eventual Trail of Tears • Land opened up to settlers and cattlemen in the Oklahoma Land Rush 2. ____Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo______ • Symbolized the end of the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848 • Negotiated by Nicholas Trist, chief clerk of the State Department • Mexico ceded Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico • Republic of Texas secession was valid, determined Texass borders • Obtained states that became California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona • Ensured safety of existing property rights of Mexican citizens living in the transferred territories • Ratified by the US Senate by a vote of 38 to 14 on Match 10, 1848 • Extended US. citizenship to Mexicans in the newly purchased territories • Would be the cause of future border disputes • Southern border of California was designated as a line from junction of Colorado and Gila rivers 3. ____Custers Last Stand______ • George Armstrong Custer led an attack on an Indian village of 6000-7000 people • Custer and his men were rapidly outnumbered and 263 of the 7th Cavalry died • Custer, his two brothers, a nephew and a brother-in-law were all killed • Afterwards known as the Battle of Little Bighorn • Occurred on June 25 and 26, 1876 • Was the most prominent action of the Great Sioux War of 1876 • 5 of the 7th Cavalrys companies were destroyed • Caused the Federal Government to approve the increase of the US Army • Site later became a national cemetery in 1879 4. _____ Helen Hunt Jackson ________ • US writer and outspoken activist for fair treatment of Native Americans • Born Helen Fiske, married twice: once to Edward Hunt and then William Jackson • Became interested in Native Americans after hearing a lecture in Boston by Ponca Chief Standing Bear • Published her first book A Century of Dishonor which called for reform of government policy towards Native Americans • Became the Interior Department agent, and visited and recorded the conditions of Southern California • Published the novel Ramona, a novel about an orphan girl who was half Indian and half Scots, raised in Spanish Californio society, and her Indian husband Alessandro, and their struggles for land of their own. • Ramona became one of the most popular and ethical novels of the 19th century • Died of stomach cancer in 1885 in San Francisco • Was a childhood friend of Emily Dickinson • Accused the government of "cheating, robbing, breaking promises" towards the Native Americans 5. _ Dawes Severalty Act_______ • Congresss response to Helen Hunt Jackson and other critics of Native American policy • Attempted to "mainstream" Indians into American society • Abolished reservations and gives land to Native Americans • Accomplished little beyond reducing the amount of land under Native American control • Granted each head of a homily one-quarter of a section • To each single person over 18 an eighth of a section • Land was providing for grazing purposes per individual • It allowed purchase of Native American land to the Secretary of the Interior • Land acquired by the US would be used to the sole purpose of securing homes for settlers • Land given to the Native Americans was subject to the laws of the State/Territory they are part of Part Two: Essays After reading the chapters, write three essay/discussion questions: 1. Explain the significance of having a transcontinental railroad. 2. What effects did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo have on the United States? 3. Explore the impact of Custers Last Stand. Was it a heroic or foolish act? Why? From the above list, respond to one of the above questions: 2. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo symbolized the end of the US-Mexican War, granting the United States over 500,000 square miles of valuable territory and leaving thousands of Mexican people to suddenly be residents of a country that wasnt their own. The treaty, signed in 1848, was important in significance as it demonstrated the domestic and international relations between the two countries, and established a history of political and military inequality between the two countries that exist to this day. With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States acquired Alta and Baja California, Arizona, and New Mexico, as well as determined the Rio Grande River as the border between Texas and Mexico. The US also acquired all the people already residing in said territories, but granted all persons from said territories US citizenship under the treaty. However, slavery still existed in the acquired lands, and this issue would be the cause of much political debate, even though the treaty promised civil and property rights. After the war, the incorporation of the Mexican people led to racial tensions as well as class and economic conflicts . In New Mexico, Anglo interests tried to take over the communal lands of Hispanic villagers, leading to the rise of very dissatisfied local residents. Calling themselves Las Gorras Blancas, or "the White Caps," they fought back against who they considered the white land squatters. Situations like this rose throughout the United States, and had to be handled with care. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had many repercussions, but also had many benefits. The size of the United States grew to become the states we know today, as well as assimilating more Mexican culture into the States. It also established the United States as the strongest power in North America, as well as opened up more land for American citizens to flourish and grow. Although the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo came at a great cost, its impact on the development of America in the 19th century was monumental, and helped build the great nation we have today. Part Three: Document After looking over the documents, which three do you view as most significant? Why? 1. 16-1 The work of Alexander Toponce and the construction of the transcontinental railroad opened up new trade routes of the US, as well as gave accessible land to US settlers to start populating the US as we know it today. It opened up a nation-wide accessible means of transportation that united the country and replaced older means of transportation like wagons and caravans. It was quite possibly one of the United States biggest achievements technologically in the 19th century. It also allowed for an influx of immigrants looking for work, as the Union Pacific Railroad Company employed Irish immigrants, while Central Pacific employed Chinese immigrants. The Pacific Railroad was critical in improving domestic trade and commerce, and was a much cheaper and faster means of transportation for many American citizens. 2. 16-6 The article on "Custers Last Stand" in the Helena Daily Herald is significant because it encompasses many issues relevant to the times including American pride, Native American treatment, the opening of the West, and the moral arguments occurring in the 19th century. The document sides with General George Armstrong Custer, but either side could be supported with the right argument. Custers Last Stand itself is a misnomer, as General Custer issued the attack on what was deceptively a small Indian village, and was instead met with the strength of the Sioux. The event was significant because it caused an uproar among the American masses against the Indians, and despite the outspoken arguments against condemnation from writers such as Helen Hunt Jackson, led to the outcry to end all Native American resistance. 3. 16-7 The Dawes Severalty Act was a momentous Act designed to give more land back to the Native Americans and provide them with the investments to thrive on American soil. Although good intentioned, it did not do much, but is significant because it was an attempt to alleviate the Native Americans and to assimilate the Native Americans into American culture. But it also ended their communal holding of property by which they had ensured that everyone had a home and a place in the tribe. The Act also decreased the amount of land given to the Native Americans, as it opened up more land for American settlers to own, further increasing the problem. Granting private land to specific Native Americans deteriorated the communal lifestyle of Native societies, and imposed Western-oriented values onto the Native people. Read More