http://www.americanyawp.com/text/17-conquering-the-west/ Chapter 17 Discussion

17. The West

Chapter 17
Discussion 2 – Yawp Ch. 17
Huge numbers of settlers flooded into the West after the Civil War driven by land available under the Homestead Act, gold and silver, and railroad expansion. Bison herds were slaughtered by the millions for the tough leather of their hides. Cattle ranching replaced the bison across the Great Plains as cowboys made their fabled cattle drives. Railroads eventually replaced cattle drives, growing rapidly across the region as a result of massive investment and government support under the Pacific Railroad Act. Meanwhile, growing conflict between white settlers and the Native Americans whose land and resources they were taking resulted in a series of “Indian Wars.” “Peace” agreements then saw Native Americans confined to smaller and smaller reservations, the destruction of their culture and way of life, increasing poverty and dependence on government assistance.
1. Post an open-ended question with a description that will engage your fellow students and encourage genuine, robust, and meaningful responses that will build upon your ideas and enrich the discussion. Try to connect the historical topic to issues, events, ideas, and/or challenges that our society faces today. Your description should be about 100-150 words and should elaborate various aspects the historical topic and present-day topics and include sub-questions that clarify and extend the main question.
2. Respond to at least two other students’ questions. ( I will post 2 student’s’ questions later as soon as someone will post)