Agrarian
having to do with farming
Manifest Destiny
1800s belief that Americans had the right to spread across the continent.
Dawes Act
1887 law which gave all Native American males 160 acres to farm and also set up schools to make Native American children more like other Americans
Assimilation
the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another
Reservation
land set aside by the United States government for Native Americans
Americanization
process of acquiring or causing a person to acquire American traits and characteristics
Vaqueros
Mexican cowboys
Homestead Act
1862 - Provided free land in the West to anyone willing to settle there and develop it. Encouraged westward migration.
Great Plains
A mostly flat and grassy region of western North America
Populist Party Platform
Free coinage of silver, direct election of senators, and national income tax.
Third Parties
parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties