1st Block Why were the buffalo important to the Native Americans? Define these terms Homestead Act Buffalo Soldiers Morrill Land Grant Transcontinental Railroad Assimilation

2nd & 4th block Quick Read Complete the Homestead Act sheet on your warm up sheet!

The West: Days with Native Americans

How They Lived The land promised to them was known as the “Great American Desert” The most common of Native Americans were the plains Indians Were nomadic (follow the buffalo) Land was a resource, unlike Americans who saw the land as profit Was not a desert at all. The lives of NA varied from region to region Buffalo used for food, clothes and tools

American’s Disruptive Way of Life The Gold Rush in California brought settlers west Indian are not immune to diseases such as small pox Railroads were being built that needed to go through Indian Territory This need led to the gov. setting up reservation that would put Indian tribes on smaller specific areas. But many were nomadic

The Way of the Buffalo White settlers killed off thousands Hunters invaded, trading fur in the East Some killed for sport leaving the carcasses to rot Indians see their way of life rotting RR companies hired sharpshooters to kill buffalo seen as obstruction traffic (Buffalo Riders) Encouraged by US army. Would keep the Indians from being nomadic

What made the buffalo important to Native American’s? Americans?

Sand Creek: The Massacre Were under US PROTECTION Indians had been attacking settlers to keep a hold on their lands..raised the distrust among settlers Unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho are attacked by Colorado militia for no reason Killed men, women & children Indians tried to signal that they were of no threat. Created even more Indian resistance and military occupation.

CUSTER: The Last Stand Gold miners encroach on Sioux territory in the Black Hills Sioux ( Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull) send out their troops & so does the US Army under Colonel Custer 600 plus soldiers vs. 2,000 Indians Indians charge killing Custer & all his men One of the very few Indians victories

Chief Joseph and Nez Perce Living on a reservation & doing well but land was needed for white settlers Leads to the Nez Perce War Chief Joseph and Nez Perces tried to escape US troops by heading into Canada Troops caught up with them just short of the border and Chief Joseph surrendered “I will fight no more forever” Were sent to unfertile lands in Oklahoma

Wounded Knee With so many threats to their way of life, NA start to practice the Ghost Dance: thought it would Banish white settlers Bring back the buffalo Frightened the gov. they order the arrest of Sitting Bull who was leading the dance ( Dec. 15, 1890) When the troops come to arrest Sitting Bull, they mistook him for a dancer and killed him. Dec. 29th, 1890, they disarmed Sioux led by Big Foot! Shoots are fired and Troops react by killing over 300 Sioux Buried in a mass grave. Disrespectable in any culture not just Indian 18 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to the troops

Giving in…(Assimilation) Reservation life was not working so gov. suggested assimilation (adopting the culture and civilization of whites) Helen Hunt Jackson criticized the gov. treatment of Indians in her book A Century of Dishonor Talked of broken treaties and the plight/poor condition of Indians

In America today, where else have you seen assimilation In America today, where else have you seen assimilation? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Why have Native Americans and Americans have so much conflict?

Dawes Act Replaced the reservation system (placing tribes on land) with an allotment system (placing families on land) Each Indian family was given 160 acres ( this sounds a lot like what other act?) Not enough for farming in the west, only in the East Land could not be sold for 25 years Attempt to assimilate NA by giving them land but they don’t even know how to farm (why)

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