1. One historian has written a book about the Plains Indians in the period 1840-1900 titled The Long Death. Drawing on the material in Chapter 17, explain why this is an appropriate title. Include in your discussion the impact of the slaughter of the buffalo, the reservation policy, the Dawes Act, and the attempts of government and reformers to "civilize" and assimilate the Indians.
2. The railroads, more than any other agency, stimulated settlement of the Great Plains and shaped the pattern of development there. Discuss this statement, explaining why and how railroads helped shape the West.
3. The myth of the frontier celebrated the economic opportunities that the West offered to everyone. Judging from the material in Chapter 17, how much truth was there in that myth? (Cite as much specific evidence as possible.)
4. Compare and contrast the picture of cowboys and their lives in the West as presented in Chapter 17, Owen Wister's novel The Virginian, and the dime novels of writers such as Ned Buntline.
5. "Unlike earlier westward expansion, almost every aspect of the settlement of the final frontier was influenced by the transformation occurring within American industry and the American economy." Explain and illustrate this statement with material about the development of farming, mining, and cattle raising found in Chapter 17.