Documents from Reading the American Past

Chapter 17

Introduction to the Documents

After the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of migrants settled the prairies, the mountainous West, and the Pacific coast, most of them moving westward, although some Mexicans moved north and others — such as the Chinese — moved east. Native Americans displaced from their tribal lands onto reservations sought to resist cultural extermination. The uprooting that accompanied this restless movement strengthened some ties while weakening or breaking others. The struggles of Chinese immigrants, homesteaders, Texas ranchers, Mexicans in the Texas borderlands, and Native Americans to come to terms with the consequences of western migration and settlement are disclosed in the following documents.