The Government Transcontinental Railroad and Native Americans 5

The Government, Transcontinental Railroad, and Native Americans 5. 5 Dignitaries and railworkers gather to drive the "golden spike" and join the tracks of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, 1869. The Central Pacific's wood-burning locomotive, Jupiter, stands to the left, the Union Pacific's coal-burning No. 119 to the right. (National Archives [30 -N-36 -2994])

The United States Looks West! • During the Civil War, the United States government passed laws to build the First Transcontinental Railroad. (Pacific Railway Act) • The Government gave subsidies to railroad companies to build the railroads. • The goal of the United States was to settle the west and expand our national markets.

• In order to persuade citizens to move out west, the United States passed the Homestead Act in 1862 which granted Americans 160 acres of land in the West to farm on. • With a railroad in place and Americans farming on the land, the national market was linked together. • Farmers in the west could sell their goods to markets in the east easily with a railroad.

Impact on Native Americans • Native Americans have been impacted by American policies before with the Trail of Tears. • As the United States was moving further west, conflicts escalated with Native Americans. • As the railroads were being built, Bison were being killed at a high rate which threatened the livelihood of the Native Americans.

The Indian Wars • Similar to the Trail of Tears, the Native Americans were being forced to move onto reservations via “treaties” between the US and Natives. • Native Americans that resisted were pursued by the United States Army and resulted in what is known as the Indian Wars. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library

The Dawes Act • The United States passed the Dawes Severalty Act in 1887 in an effort to assimilate Native Americans into American society • Native American culture differed greatly to the American culture and the Dawes Act created even more hostility between Native Americans and the United States. • Native American children were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools where they were taught English and how to dress and act like white Americans. • This severely damaged the Native American culture.

Native American Resistance • Attempts to revive the Native American culture were shot down by the United States Army and resulted in a massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. • As a result, Native Americans were left in poverty and their culture damaged, and they had no voice in America’s government. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library