Lesson 1.02 Life on the Frontier

In the years following the Civil War, the population of the west swelled in number. American settlers and immigrants flocked to the area to settle a space that many deemed a great wasteland. The farming conditions were less than ideal and the weather was harsh. The vast majority of settlers gave up after a few years and returned home, with fewer than 50% deciding to stay. Over time, the advent of new technology made farming easier and the transportation of goods more profitable.

Read US History: Life on the Farm text to learn more about the plight of the settlers.

Photograph Citation:

A homestead family posed before its sod house. IRC, 2005, Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 January 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

The western migration of American settlers in the late 1800s severely disrupted the culture and lifestyle of the Native Americans in the area. Many were forced to forfeit land promised to them by the federal government. The hunting of the buffalo further disrupted their cultural existence as did the passage of the Dawes ActThis act allowed the president to divide native land into individual family plots. and other related acts by Congress that forced Native peoples to assimilate and adopt American ways. While many groups chose to accept the change in exchange for peace, other groups did not. A series of battles fought until 1890, known collectively as the Indian WarsCollective battles fought between Native Americans and white settlers from the colonial period to 1890. View the map slideshow below to see the drastic decrease of Native land from 1850 to 1890., solidified the white man's control of the area and the subsequent demise of Indian groups.

Fullscreen version of maps

Learn more about the Native American perspective on western settlement by reviewing the information provided at the links below:

Custer's Last Stand

The End of Resistance

Life on the Reservations

Click here to view the instructions for logging in to Discovery Education Streaming videos. Life on the First Reservations (4:00)

Painting Citation:

An Indian council. IRC, 2005, Image. Discovery Education. Web. 23 January 2014. <http://www.discoveryeducation.com/>.

Map Citation:

"Western Indian Lands, 1850-1890" The Early Reservation Years 1880-1920, page 211. Online Textbook. Montanta Education. Web. 12February2014.  <http://mhs.mt.gov/education/textbook/chapter11/Chapter11.pdf>.