Telling New Stories

1. What were the two versions of the Camp Grant attack that existed among the U.S. public, and who supported each view?

Version One of the Event: One version of the Camp Grant attack was presented by U.S settler William Oury and Mexican American brothers Juan and Jesus Maria Elias. They claimed that Apache from this settlement stole cattle and killed local settlers.

Who supported Version One?
Local settlers supported version one.

Version Two of the Event: the second version was presented by the fort’s commander who said the attack was not for revenge but was a violation with the US army’s peace agreement with the Apache and it was a slaughter of the Apache’s women and children.

Who supported Version Two?

Many of the newspapers that had previously reported favorably not became to call it a massacre. President Grant referred to it as a murder, public opinion was split.

2. Why was the trial that took place after the attack significant?

The trial that followed was significant because for the first time in the history of the Arizona territory, non Apache’s were put on trial for killing Apaches. 

3. Whose views were absent in the accounts of this attack that were told in the United States?

The views of the Apache as well as the Mexican Americans and the O’ odham who didn’t have access to national newspapers were not told. In general, Mexican Americans had a hard time getting their views told however, they were two Mexican Americans leading the massacre.  

4. Why have Native American views been excluded from the story of U.S. expansion that is told in the United States?

Anglo Americans were the prevailing force in the US and they were able to tell their experiences as the only true story of the west. They didn’t highlight other group’s contributions or perspectives. The US preferred to portray itself as a force for good that spread idealistic goals across the land rather than taking responsibility for the devastation caused to Native American societies. 

5. What were the two parts of the U.S. government's assimilation plan in the late nineteenth century?

a. the first part of the U.S government’s assimilation plan was to get all Indian groups on reservations.


b. the second part of the assimilation plan was to wipe of the Indian culture. The reformers thought the reservations would be temporary because one they taught them to speak English, become Christians, and to farm, they could become part of U.S society.

6. Give two examples of how U.S. policy makers forced Indian groups to give up their cultures?

a. U.S policy makers banned Indians from practicing their religion and cultural ceremonies.


b. they also took thousands of Indian children from their homes and send them to boarding schools, changed their names and forced them to speak English.

7. What effect did the railroad have on U.S. settlement of the West?

The railroad contributed to increased U.S settlement in the West. By 1890, there was more than 72,000 miles of track west of the Mississippi River. The lengths of trips were dramatically reduced. Goods and supplies could be brought in to feed the towns and industries and the Western economy was able to grow in vast ways. 

 8. How did westward expansion fuel U.S. industrialization?

The railroads linked Western industries to the markets in the East and beyond. The great resources produced from the lands in the West were shipped east to energize growing cities and industries. Western farms became critical food sources for the populations of the East and Europe. The natural resources of the West contributed to the countries rapid economic growth. Westward expansion also created a surge in emigration as millions emigrated from Europe to be part of the Western opportunity.