American Indians in the West

American Indians in the West 1865- dozens of cultural and tribal groups Two-thirds of western tribal groups lived on the Great Plains Nomadic tribes gave up farming after the introduction of the horse by the Spanish 1700s- became skillful horse riders developed a way of life centered on the hunting of buffalo Late 19th C.- conflicts with U.S. government largely a result of white Americans having little understanding/appreciation of Plain’s tribes organization and lifestyle

Reservation Policy 1830s- Jackson’s policy of removing Native Americans based to the West based on the belief the lands west of the Mississippi would permanently remain “Indian Country” 1851- government began assigning Plains tribes large tracts of lands (reservations) with definite boundaries Most tribes refused, continued to follow the buffalo

Indian Wars Settlement of thousands of miners, ranchers, homesteaders on Native American lands led to violence U.S. Army responsible for several massacres After several wars, the U.S. govt. attempted to isolate the Plains tribes on smaller reservations Gold miners refused to stay off these lands if gold was found

Indian Wars 1870s- Indian Appropriation Act of 1871 ends recognition of tribes as independent nations Nullified previous treaties Conflicts included a second Sioux War led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse Before the Sioux were defeated, they ambushed and wiped out Col. George Custer’s command at Little Big Horn in 1876

Indian Wars Constant pressure of U.S. Army forced tribe after tribe to comply with Washington’s terms Slaughter of most of the buffalo by early 1800s doomed the way of life for Plains tribes Government paid people and held contests for who could kill the most bison

The Ghost Dance A religious movement and last effort to resist U.S. government controls In government’s campaign to suppress the movement, Sitting Bull was killed during his arrest December 1890- U.S. army gunned down 200+ Native American men, women, and children in the “battle” of Wounded Knee

The “Battle” of Wounded Knee

Assimilation Injustices done to Native Americans were chronicled in Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor (1881) Created sympathy for the Native Americans but also had an unforeseen consequence assimilation Remove Native American children from their people and teach them white culture (mannerisms, formal education, job training, conversion to Christianity, etc. etc.)

Dawes Severalty Act (1887) Act was designed to break up tribal organizations Divided tribal lands into plots of 160 acres U.S. citizenship granted to those who stayed on the land for 25 years and “adopted the habits of civilized life” As intended, 47 million acres of land were distributed But over 90 million more acres were sold off to white settlers- new policy proved a failure

Changes in the 20th Century By the 20th Century, disease and poverty had reduced the Native American population to 200,000 1924- in recognition that forced assimilation had failed, U.S. government granted citizenship to all Native Americans Indian Reorganization Act (part of FDR’s New Deal) promoted the reestablishment of tribal organization and culture Today, there are more than 3 million Native Americans, belonging to over 500 tribes

? Conflicts between Native Americans and the U.S. government were largely a result of what? What was Jackson’s Indian Removal policies based off of? What happened in 1851? What was a major victory for the Sioux in the first Sioux War? Why was the “battle” of Wounded Knee not really a battle? What was the main goal of assimilation? What was the main goal of the Dawes Severalty Act?