Native American Struggles

Objectives Compare the ways Native Americans and white settlers viewed and used the land. Describe the conflicts between white settlers and Indians. Evaluate the impact of the Indian Wars.

After the Civil War, about 250,000 Indians lived in the lands west of the Mississippi. Had different belief systems Spoke different languages Lived in different types of houses Ate different types of foods Native Americans came from many diverse cultures.

Many white Americans viewed the land as a resource to produce wealth. The diverse Indian peoples, however, shared a common view toward nature—a view that conflicted with that of many white Americans. Native Americans saw themselves as part of nature and viewed nature as sacred. Many white Americans viewed the land as a resource to produce wealth. 4

During the 1800s, the government carried out a policy of moving Indians out of the way of white settlers. At first, Indians in the East were moved west, into the Plains. As frontier settlers continued pushing west, however, this plan changed. Indians were forced into reservations. No longer free to roam the Plains, they faced suppression and poverty.

Two other crises also threatened Native American civilizations. Settlers introduced diseases to which Indians had no immunity. Disease Settlers slaughtered buffalo herds. Loss of the buffalo 6

Some Native Americans fought to defend their lands. At the Sand Creek Massacre, a Colorado militia killed an unarmed camp of Indians who were under U.S. Army protection. But attacks and retaliation led to distrust—and to tragedy. Promises were made and peace treaties were signed, but they often were broken. 7

Frustration turned to violence as the government moved to crush Indian resistance. The Red River War led to the defeat of the Southern Plains Indians. The Sioux were victorious at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Chief Joseph and the Nez Percés surrendered after attempting to retreat to Canada. 8

As their way of life slipped away, some Indians turned to a religious revival based on the Ghost Dance. The ritual preached that white settlers would be banished and the buffalo would return. Fearful of insurrection, government officials tried to ban the practice.

However, he was killed in a confrontation with U.S. troops. In an effort to end the Ghost Dance, the government attempted to arrest Sitting Bull. However, he was killed in a confrontation with U.S. troops. More than 100 Indians who fled were killed at Wounded Knee. The Indian Wars were over. 10

Native Americans were forced to assimilate. Though they had been pushed onto reservations where their native cultures were banned, some reformers believed Native Americans needed to be sent to boarding schools to be “like all other Americans.” Before and after entering Carlisle Indian School

In 1887, Congress passed the Dawes General Allotment Act to encourage assimilation. Replaced the reservation system with an allotment system Granted each Indian family their own plot of land Specified the land could not be sold for 25 years

Native Americans’ struggle to retain their homeland, freedom, and culture proved tragic. Tens of thousands of Native Americans died in battle or on squalid reservations. Only a small number were left to carry on their legacy.