Erykah Washington

Mrs.Chase 3
rd
Hour
U.S American History
10/22/12
Negatives: The Changes On The Western Frontier
The changes on the Western Frontier during the late 1800s were reckless, depressing times. This
is why it had a negative influence, ecause of the !assacre "t #and $reek, #ettlers !oving West,
and The Farmers and %opulist !ovement. These hardships had a toll on certain people ack in the
1800s which makes these dates in history negatives on the changes of the Western Frontier.
The negatives really started hitting hard for &ative "mericans ack in 18'( with the
!assacre "t #and $reek. $hivingtons troops set in on the $heyenne trie. )00 warriors and *00
women and children camped out at #and $reek. +n &ovemer ),, 18'( at dawn, over 1*0 woman
and children were killed. This attle left the &ative "mericans with sorrow and hardships that were
going to carry with them for centuries. -%age )0( #ection 1 %aragraph ).
When the settlers moved western for farming, they had hardships. They faced droughts,
flood, fires, li//ards locust plagues and raids y &ative "mericans. The rate of people living west
y outlaws grew only one percent of the nations population in 18*0 to almost 00 percent y the
turn of the century. The trees were so scarce the settlers had to uild there house out of sod and
dirt. 1t rought many prolems such as snakes, ugs, and other rodents. When it would rain they
would also have ma2or leakage prolems. -#ection ) %age )1' #ettlers meet the challenges of the
plains.
The Farmers and %opulist !ovement had ma2or economic distress. The 3nited #tates had
issued *00 million dollars in paper money called greenacks. "fter the civil war the government got
rid of greenacks. Farmers were receiving less money for their crops etween 18'4 and 1884.
Farmers tried to push the government to issue more money they refused. The government gave )
million to ( million each month ut it wasnt enough to increase the money supply for farmers.
-#ection 0 %age ))0 5conomic 6istress.