Stephen Breece
United States History Since 1865
Professor Claire McCallum
Chapter 17 Questions
1. How does the decimation of the buffalo impact the Indigenous people of North America?
The buffalo were the primary source of almost everything essential the Indigenous people
needed. The used the hides for clothing, they used the bones for tools, the used the meat
for food, they used excrement for heating. As the population dwindled they were less and
less able to provide for themselves and their families. Many were not able to find
alternative sources for these needs and died out.
2. What was the purpose of the Carlisle Indian School?
The purpose of the Carlisle Indian School was to “civilize” Indians, to assimilate them
into a world where they could become beneficial members of society. The goal was to get
them to leave behind trial languages, dances, etc., and to be more like the white families
they lived with. Indians had no interest in materialistic things, and one goal of the school
was to teach them the importance of materialism.
3. Explain the Homestead Act of 1862.
It was an act that promised there is an active promised 160 acres in the trans Mississippi
W free to any citizen or prospective citizen who settled on the land for five years the
expert American settlement of the West it was nearly 110th the United states he granted to
settlers OK i need see this is
4. What was the conflict of the Black Hills?
The government illegally took land belong to the Sioux. The Unites Staes had already
guaranteed the Indians control the Black Hills. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills
led the government to break its promise.
5. How did various Indigenous groups defy and resist colonial rule?
They fought against them in several battles. One notable one was the Battle of the Little
Big Horn (Custer’s Last Stand) wherein they conquered Custer and two hundred troopers.
There was also the Red Cloud’s War.
6. How did the fight for land and resources unfold in the west?
