The ability of plains indians to migrate with the

impacted by the increased population and farming because their land was being claimed by Whites. The
ability of Plains Indians to migrate with the buffalo herd was limited as more farmers sectioned off their
land with barbed wire and changed the landscape with their farming methods.
New Inventions: Farming in the West was transformed after the Civil War as more settlers moved to the
region. Life was hard for the homesteaders who worked to make a life for their families. New plows were
introduced that could tackle the tough sod of the West. With the increased plowing and more scientific
methods of farming, the West was a more desirable location for settlers to make a new start. The increased
plowing and farming coupled with drought led to environmental challenges that became significant issues
in the early twentieth century.
Define:
1. Open-Range System:
the unfenced public lands of the West . When the cattle industry
boomed following the American Civil War (1861 – 1865), ranchers in Texas, Colorado,
Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana allowed their cattle to roam freely
across the vast range. Livestock were branded with a rancher's symbol.
2. Cowboys: an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often
performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks

3. Barbed-Wire Fencing: a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals
along the strands.
Answer the SSUSH Questions for Sub-Standard 12b:
1. What was the Homestead Act?
2. How were trains used by western farmers?
3. Describe the job of a cowboy:
4. How did the growth of the west impact Plains Indians?
5. What caused an “accidental” change in the environment of the West? _______________________________
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Read and Summarize (in your own words) Sub-Standard 12b: (fill every line )
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SSUSH12 – Evaluate how westward expansion impacted the Plains Indians and fulfilled
Manifest Destiny.
c. Explain the Plains Indians’ resistance to western expansion of the US & consequences of
their resistance.