US History Chapter 5 Section 1

Great Plains

vast grassland between the Mississippi river and the rocky mountains

shamans

people believed to have the power to summon spirits and cure the sick.

ramshackle

appearing ready to collapse, loose and shaky

Treaty of Fort Laramie

the Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River in 1868

Sitting Bull

Sioux chief who led the attack on Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn

Red River War

Plains Indians fought against settlers & US Army for their land

George Custer

United States general who was killed along with all his command by the Sioux at the battle of Little Bighorn (1839-1876)

assimilation

the social process of absorbing one cultural group into harmony with another

Dawes Act

Law aimed at "Americanizing" the Indian

Battle of Wounded Knee

US soldiers massacred 300 unarmed Native American in 1890. This ended the Indian Wars.

longhorns

Interbred Spanish and English cattle. Live on little water and can live on grass alone.

Chisholm Trail

a former cattle trail from San Antonio in Texas to Abilene in Kansas

long drive

name for the moving of cattle across the plains to the railroad terminals

cow town

settlement at the end of a cattle trail

open range

A vast area of grassland owned by the government where ranchers could graze their herds for free