Plains Indians Manifest Destiny

In the later part of the 1800’s, the United States had started to become increasingly roaming. The creation of a new mode of transportation dubbed the Transcontinental Railroad shortened a 6 month wagon journey to just a 7 day train ride. This allowed settlers to move west and fulfill the assumed manifest destiny. This combined with the Homestead Act gave settlers the freedom and prosperity they had always dreamed of. The settlers could claim as much as 160 acres of free land. Some could argue however, that this did not give equality to everyone.This land was taken from the Plains Indians. the thought of manifest destiny meant and end to their way of life.
The Plains Indians relied very heavily on the American buffalo. To them, it was a Walmart on legs. The natives used every part of the animal except for the pile of undigested grass left behind after a hunt. They used the hide to build shelters such as Teepees, the meat for food, the bone for tools and weapons, the sinew and tendons for bowstrings, and the organs for medicine. They hunted the buffalo from horses and used bows to shoot the buffalo. The Plains Indians would carve the bones into spoons and forks. Some bones were even used to make small bowls and plates. Some bones such as the jaw bone, were used to make axes after they were sharpened. The natives used the hide to

This act allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of free land. The people who claimed the land had to pay a $5 dollar registration fee and promise to farm the land for a minimum of 5 years. “Going west” inspired thoughts of land, wealth and freedom. The transcontinental railroad allowed for ease of access to this free land. The railroad cut a 6 month wagon ride into a 7 day train ride. The train was faster, safer, and cleaner. Wagon trains carried diseases along with bacteria from human waste, animals, and improper preparation of