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Fort Laramie Treaty
Governmant officials met with the Indian leaders near Fort Laramie. The government asked for the natives to keep a small amount of land in exchange for money, domestic animals, agricultural tools, and other goods. This treay was so signifigant because later in 1858 gold was discovered in Pikes Peak which caused lots of miners to move there. Later the government forced the natives to sign a whole new treaty. Natives who were against signing the new treaty started to attack white settlers. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862 said that 160 acres of land could be yours for a small fee. The signifigance of this act is that many people couldn't afford to move to the new land. Companies took most of the land rather than small farmers. They took the land illegally and resold it at higher prices. As a result about only 20% of the land went directly to small farmers. -
Chivington Massacre
Colonel John Chivington sent a militia to the Cheyenne village. The natives held up white flags of surrender which were ignored by the Colonel and later John Chivingoton and his troops killed over 200 men, women, and children. The signifigance of this event is that many U.S. citizens were outraged by the brutality and that the militia ignored surrender. Now there will be friction between the U.S. soldiers and natives. -
Barbed Wire Invention
Barbed wire was a cowboys nightmare in the 1800's. Cowboys would drive cattle up north towards railroads or cow towns to sell them for a good profit until the 1870's. In 1874 a man by the name of Joseph Glidden invented barbed wire. many people and farmers would put barbed wire fences up preventing cattle and cowboys from going through their land to get up north. This was a signifigant cause to the end of the Cattle Kingdom. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
In a struggle during the arrest of Sitting Bull he was accidentally shot and killed. The Lakotas were very upset by this and left the reservation. The U.S. Army troops followed them to Wounded Knee Creek. The natives were in the middle of surrendering and a gun shot rang out. The army opened fire on the Lakotas. Around 300 of them were killed along with 25 U.S. soldiers. This marked the end of the Ghost Dance religion. -
The Election of 1896
WIlliam McKinley and William Jennings Bryan were running. The Populists highly supported Bryan because they thought that he would increase the supply of money. Bankers and business people thought that Bryan would ruin the economy so many of them were on McKinley's side. Bryan won most of the West but McKinley won most of the higher populated states and the East resulting in McKinley winning the election. Since McKinley didn't support the Populists, this election caused the them to break up.
