The Gilded Age Gilded means to be covered in gold This time was first coined this name by Mark Twain because from the outside it seemed like a great period of wealth but in reality the rich people got richer and the poor people got poorer It was a time of government corruption and social injustice but also technological developments and massive population growth The New West Migration travelers went farther west than they ever had before in hopes for the oasis clean air and sunshine and a fresh start to life that they were advertised Most people who moved were farmers looking for land and gold rushers Most settlers were a variety of different races of men including many African Americans Chinese and Mexicans o Transcontinental Railroad railroad tracks traveled east from Sacramento and west from Omaha to meet in Utah In 1870 there were approximately 53 000 miles of tracks but by 1920 there were 407 000 Most railroads were built by Chinese and Irish immigrants and were used to transport people and goods This new form of transportation allowed for mass marketing and was able to tie the west to the American economy o Homestead Act of 1862 allowed any man to purchase 160 acres of land for a small fee if they promised to occupy and improve that land for at least five years o Exodusters a large group of African Americans who moved west for the promise of land and a better life than what they had previously in the south However the dry land and little water made large scale farming very difficult Most families struggled to produce enough cash crops to sustain themselves let alone sell to anyone else This led to the beginning of corporate agriculture that relied on Mexican and Chinese immigrants Cattle driving and gold mining was also taken over by large corporations who hired wage laborers o Women of the West women did all of the household work in addition to helping their husbands with farming duties Often they were left alone to tend to all farm duties while their husbands went off to sell their crops at markets This led to some forms of women equality the west was the first part of America to give women the right to vote Wyoming 1896 Native Americans the displacement and exploitation of Native Americans was a cornerstone of western expansion There were often conflicts between western Native Americans and those displaced from the east over hunting land Many nations were slowly dying off due to their inability to find a sufficient amount of food the US Government aimed to deplete the buffalo population to weaken Native American societies Eventually Native Americans became tired of fighting and turned from resistance to accommodation o Federal Reservation Policy the US Army forced all Native Americans onto reservations where they had no say over their own businesses or land They were viewed as wardens of the state The government did not respect Native American history or culture and often put rival tribes on the same reservation o Elk vs Wilkins 1884 in this case the Supreme Court ruled that the 14 th and 15th Amendments solely applied to former slaves not Native Americans they aren t citizens so they can t vote o Conflict and Resistance The Lakota Sioux 1876 this tribe was led by Chief Sitting Bull Known for bravery among many tribes Sitting Bull thought reservations were ridiculous The Sioux were placed in the Black Hills of North Dakota but when gold was discovered there the US tried to relocate the tribe Chief Sitting Bull and Chief Crazy horse led their tribe at the battle of Little Big Horn Sitting Bull was able to lead his tribe to Canada Crazy Horse went to Nebraska where he was eventually caught and killed The Nez Perce 1877 this tribe was placed in northern Idaho and Oregon where their land was continuously reduced until they were told they would be relocated Chief Joseph tried to do the same as Sitting Bull and lead his tribe to Canada The Nez Perce were caught just 30 miles from the Canadian border and were placed first in Kansas and then Oklahoma Most Nez Perce eventually died from malaria Why didn t the US just let them go to Canada The Apache 1886 Geronimo and his tribe led the US Army on a chase for 10 years The Apache were eventually caught in Florida and were relocated to Oklahoma Geronimo died of pneumonia in 1904 Massacre at Wounded Knee 1890 Sitting Bull of the Lakota Sioux insisted on returning to the US so he led his tribe and settled back in South Dakota in 1883 The Lakota Sioux performed a ritual known as the ghost dance which was a peaceful religious ritual that they believed would bring solace to those displaced return the buffalo population and allow them to return to their traditions of peace Reports of the ghost dance spread quickly in newspapers around the country The US didn t understand Native American traditions and misinterpreted this peaceful ritual as an uprising President Benjamin Harrison ordered troops to take over the Lakota Sioux Reservation When the troops arrived a man named Black Coyote approached them He was armed but deaf so he did not understand their orders to drop his weapon the US Army began shooting Federal troops killed 150 and wounded 50 Lakota Sioux Twenty American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor which many Native Americans have tried to have rescinded The massacre was considered the end of the Indian Wars and massive Native American resistance By 1900 the Native American population was just over 200 000 Even still the US Government continued to pursue policies that would eradicate their customs traditions and spiritual beliefs o Assimilation and Reform Dawes Act 1887 aimed at forcing Native Americans to conform to American cultures and traditions particularly with regard to land ownership Native Americans believed in communal land meaning the tribe owned the land and allowed anyone to live on it in exchange for work The Act made all land be legally tied to its owners In exchange for taking claim of a small piece of land the US would give Native Americans citizenship The Native Americans also had to self identify as one tribe or another which was a difficult choice for many because of intermarriage Any land unclaimed by the Native Americans was auctioned off to white men Women s National Indian Association this was a group of white middle class women who went to reservations and taught Native American women the traditional gender roles and traditional types of women work Native American families were traditionally centered