Option P3: Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862 - 3 Conflict and tension — Edexcel GCSE History
Test yourself on Option P3: Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862 - 3 Conflict and tension with PEARSON EDEXCEL GCSE practice questions.
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Option P3: Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862 - 3 Conflict and tension explained
Tension between Indigenous peoples and white settlers grew due to conflicting views on land ownership.
Read the full explanation
US government policy initially aimed to separate groups via the 'Permanent Indian Frontier', moving eastern tribes west. As white migration increased, this boundary was breached. The first Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) was significant as it shifted policy towards concentrating tribes in specific territories, allowing safe passage for migrants and building forts in exchange for annuities. The Indian Appropriations Act (1851) furthered this by legally establishing reservations, fundamentally altering the nomadic lifestyle of Plains Indians and laying the groundwork for future conflict as promises were broken and land was encroached upon.
Lawlessness in early towns and settlements, including attempts to tackle lawlessness.
Early towns and settlements in the West experienced severe lawlessness due to rapid population growth, transient populations, and a lack of established law enforcement. Mining towns saw high rates of violence, gambling, and claim-jumping. Vast distances made it difficult for the federal government to impose order, leaving communities to devise their own solutions. Attempts to tackle lawlessness included the formation of vigilance committees who took the law into their own hands, often resulting in lynchings without fair trials. Additionally, towns appointed local sheriffs and US Marshals were assigned to territories, though they were often underpaid and corrupt. These attempts highlight the struggle to establish justice in a rapidly expanding frontier.
Your focus
- Explain the reasons for growing tension between Indigenous peoples and white settlers.
- Evaluate the significance of the first Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) in changing US government policy.
- Describe the purpose and impact of the Indian Appropriations Act (1851) on Plains Indians.
Show all 6 objectives
- Identify the main causes and types of lawlessness in early Western towns and settlements.
- Describe the various methods used to tackle lawlessness, including vigilantes and formal law officers.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of early attempts to establish law and order in the West.
Option P3: Key topic 1: The early settlement of the West, c1835–c1862 - 3 Conflict and tension exam tips
Marking Points
- Identify the 'Permanent Indian Frontier' as the initial policy of separation that failed due to westward migration.
- Explain the terms of the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty, including safe passage for settlers and the introduction of annuities.
- Analyse the significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty in ending the Permanent Indian Frontier and beginning the reservation system.
- Describe the Indian Appropriations Act (1851) as the legal mechanism that funded and established reservations for Plains Indians.
- Identify the causes of lawlessness, such as rapid population influx, isolation, and the transient nature of mining towns.
- Describe specific crimes prevalent in early settlements, including claim-jumping, robbery, and murder.
- Explain the role and methods of vigilance committees in attempting to restore order outside the formal legal system.
- Evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of formal law enforcement, such as sheriffs and US Marshals, in the early West.
Examiner Tips
- 💡When discussing significance, focus on how the Fort Laramie Treaty changed the relationship between the US government and Plains Indians.
- 💡Link the failure of the Permanent Indian Frontier directly to the increasing numbers of migrants travelling the Oregon Trail.
- 💡Use the Indian Appropriations Act to demonstrate the shift in US policy from separation to concentration and assimilation.
- 💡Use specific examples of crimes, like claim-jumping in gold rush towns, to illustrate the nature of lawlessness.
- 💡When discussing attempts to tackle lawlessness, contrast the formal methods (sheriffs) with informal methods (vigilantes).
- 💡Consider the geographical factors, such as vast distances and poor communication, that hindered effective law enforcement.
Common Mistakes
- Error: Confusing the first Fort Laramie Treaty (1851) with the second (1868). Correction: Ensure you specify that the 1851 treaty focused on safe passage and defined territories, not the creation of the Great Sioux Reservation.
- Error: Stating that the Permanent Indian Frontier successfully prevented conflict. Correction: Explain that the frontier was quickly undermined by white migration along trails crossing Indian lands.
- Error: Believing the Indian Appropriations Act gave land to white settlers. Correction: Clarify that the Act allocated funds to move western tribes onto reservations, restricting their nomadic lifestyle.
- Error: Assuming that formal law enforcement was completely absent in the West. Correction: Note that sheriffs and US Marshals did exist, but they were often ineffective due to vast territories and lack of resources.
- Error: Viewing vigilantes purely as heroic figures who solved crime. Correction: Explain that vigilantes often bypassed the right to a fair trial and could be as corrupt or violent as the criminals they pursued.
- Error: Confusing the lawlessness of early mining towns with later cattle towns. Correction: Focus on the specific context of early settlements (c1835–1862), such as the California Gold Rush camps, rather than later cowboy-related violence.