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Chinese Immigrants
Chinese Immigrants were essential to building railroads in the AMerican west, they worked in factories as well as in agricultural jobs and gold mines, however this increased the anti-Chinese attitudes in the west because although they were essential to the American economy by the time these attitudes were increasing they held jobs at lower wages than most American whites, and so it made it harder for some non-Chinese to find mining or factory jobs in the west (especially California). -
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Expansion of the West
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Irish Immigrants
Nearly half the population of Ireland came to America during this time, where they built railroads and canals as well as took low-paying factory jobs, worked as housekeepers and maids, they formed small communities with other Irish people and affedcted lmost every city on the eastern seaboard in some way. -
Homestead Act of 1862
This act granted 160 acres of land to US citizens willing to live in the west and farm on it for 5 years -
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Treaty of Ft, Laramie
this treat was signed in 1868 and rewstricted the Native Americans to specific areas away from the Oregon Trail -
Battle of Little BigHorn
This battle was over gold on Native American lands, but it also drew whites to hunting buffalo that Native Americans lived off of. This battle also cause Native Americans to cry for revenge, but the lack of food and supplies the natuve americans had crushed thier morale for resistance. -
Helen Hunt Jackson
Publicized the cause of Native American skirmishes and plight. she wrote "A Century of Dishonor" she criticized the the national governments policies and treaties toward the Native Americans. She also explained the native americans policies toward the government in a novel called "Romona." Her work helped to build sympathy for the NAtive Americans -
Exoduster
After Reconstruction in the South, Benjamin "Pap" Singleton urged African AMericans to form their own, new communties in the West to get away from opression, it sparked an exodus to the West by almost 15,000 African Americans and their letters were read in black churches and meetings across the nation about the communities that were being formed in the West by former slaves, -
A Century of Dishonor by Helen Hunt Jackson
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Dawes Allotment Act
This act was a policy toward native Americans that spanned from 1887-1900, this act focused mainly on giving land of reservations specifically to people of the Native Americans, and proved to be a departure from earlier acts concerning war, reservations, treaties, and removal. it was basically the idea of bringing white culture into NAtive American culture encouraging white education for young Native Americans as well as clothing, ediquitte and culture -
The Oklahoma Land Rush
Nearly 2 million acres of land had been opened up in Oklahoma Territory from where NAtive Americans had been relocated so that cheap land could be sold to new prospective settlers. Because of this relocation, the government was able to sell the "ideal" land to new settlers which caused a huge move west.
