Chapter 8 Lesson 2
Early History of the Midwest
Page 254-263
Buffalo was an important natural resource.
Sioux Indians lived in the Central Plains.
Sioux Indians fished the waters, lumbered in the forest, and farmed.
European settlers came and the Sioux tribe moved west to the Great Plains.
Sioux Indians had to adapt their way of life to survive in the new environment.
Adapt – change
The Sioux adapted to living on the Great Plains:
*captured wild horses and learned to ride
*moved from place to place following herds of buffalo
The Native Americans of the Great Plains used buffalo for most of their needs:
*meat for food
*used skin for making tepees, clothing, and blankets
*made tools, needles, and arrowheads from bones and horns
The European explorers and traders built forts along the region’s waterways so
they could trade with the Native Americans.
Thousands of settlers rushed to settle on the fertile lands of the Midwest.
Sometimes two settlers claimed the same land and arguments broke out. So the
US government leaders decided to control the settling of the Northwest Territory.
Settling the Northwest Territory of the Midwest:
*First workers survey, or measure the territory
*Then government divided the land into squares called townships. Each township
was divided into 36 smaller square sections to be sold to settlers
Chapter 8 Lesson 2
Page 2
Survey – measure
Townships – smaller government units of land
Ordinances – set of laws
Northwest Ordinance - described how the territory’s government would work
and explained how new states could be formed there
Midwest in 1800 was made up of only 2 territories.
Abraham Lincoln grew up in the frontier of the Northwest Territory.
Frontier – lands beyond settlement
Like the Native Americans in the Midwest region, settlers had to use the
resources around them to survive in this wilderness.
How settlers used natural resources:
*forest used to make log cabins
*land cleared to grow crops
*grew corn and other crops
*livestock grazed on tall grasses
*hunted
As many settlers took land from Native Americans, fights broke out. The United
States sent troops to help settlers fight the Native Americans. Over time the
Native Americans lost most of their land to settlers or treaties. Many moved out
of the Midwest region ending traditional ways of life.
In 1803 the United States bought a huge territory from France. The Louisiana
Purchase, as it was called, doubled the size of the United States. The nation now
owned much of the Great Plains region in the Midwest.
Chapter 8 Lesson 2
Page 3
Homestead Act - United States government passed the law that gave land to any
head of a family who was over 21 years old and who would live on the land for 5
years.
Pioneer – person who first settles a place
Self-sufficient – have to do almost everything for themselves
Pioneers had to be self-sufficient because they lived far from towns, stores, and
neighbors
Sod – layer of soil held together by roots of grass
Pioneer used sod because they area had few trees to build houses.
Historical map – map that shows information about a place at a certain time in
history