Westward Expansion and the American Indians Ch. 6 Sec. 2 Westward Expansion and the American Indians
Cultures Under Pressure Native Americans forced to resettle west of the Mississippi River “The Great American Desert” Home to 250,000 Indians
Threatened by Advancing Settlers 1800s- gov forced native Americans out of the way of white settlers President Jackson moved Cherokees into the Great Plains Law regulated trade and limited access of white people in Indian Territory
Gold and silver discovered in Indian Territory Americans wanted a RR to cross the continent Wanted to farm in Indian Territory 1851- Indians restricted to smaller areas Later forced to reservations Specific areas for Indians set up by the gov Settler’s diseases killed many Indians Buffalo hunting limited the Indians food source
Rebellion and Tragedy on the Plains 1862- Sioux Indians attacked settlements in Minnesota Gov declared war against the Sioux Pushed Sioux into the Dakotas Sioux rebellion started other Indian attacks
Sand Creek Massacre Colorado militia found an unarmed camp of Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek Troops opened fire, killing men, women, and children Indians tried to signal friendship by raising the American flag Union troops were sent to subdue Indians after the Massacre
Sand Creek Massacre
8
Peace Plans Fail Gov planned to build a road through Sioux grounds to connect gold-mining towns 1866- Warrior Red Cloud and his followers ambushed and killed Captain Fetterman and all his troops United States Peace Commission believed peace would come only if Native Americans settled on farms and became civilized like whites
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 Gov would not build road and abandon 3 forts Sioux agreed to live on reservations with federal gov support An agent was responsible for distributing land and supplies to anyone who farmed Schools were promised by the treaty Agents either stole funds or did not receive the support from gov to enforce terms of the treaty
Red River War This war led to the final defeat of southern Plains Indians Ended buffalo herds Opened the panhandle of Texas to whites Terms of 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge were not kept
Battle of Little Big Horn The Black Hills Gold Rush of 1875 drew men onto Sioux hunting grounds Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull wanted to drive them out US Army sent in its own troops George Custer and his troops arrived early and found the Indians Crazy Horse led the charge and killed Custer and his men
Battle of Little Big Horn
Battle of Little Big Horn
Battle of Little Big Horn
Destruction of the Buffalo 1870s/1880s – the destruction of the buffalo 17
Destruction of the Buffalo 18
Chief Joseph and the Nez Perces 1877- Gov wanted to move the Nez Perces Chief Joseph led the Nez Perces to Canada Were stopped and the chief surrendered and were sent to an area in Oklahoma
The Indian Wars 1890 – the massacre at Wounded Knee Ghost Dance
Wounded Knee The Ghost Dance was thought by Indians to banish white settlers and restore the buffalo Gov wanted to stop this activity and ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull Over 100 men, women, and children were killed in the confrontation at Wounded Knee
Congress Passes the Dawes Act 1871- Congress passed a law claiming to treat Indians as individuals Congress passed the Dawes General Allotment Act Replaced reservations with granting each Indian family a 160 acre farmstead Land could not be sold or transferred from original family for 25 years
Late 1800s Indian Policy 1860s – confine tribal groups to large reservations 1870s – confine tribal groups to smaller reservations, winter campaign 1880s/1890s – assimilation Dawes Act Boarding schools
Turner’s Frontier Thesis Frederick Jackson Turner Historian of the American West Delivered his “Significance of the Frontier in American History” (Also called “Frontier Hypothesis”) Described general stages in development of the frontier Mountain men Miners Cowboys & ranchers Farms & towns 25
Turner’s Frontier Thesis Turner’s beliefs: American exceptionalism American character a result of the frontier 26