Native American Struggles

Terms and People reservation – specific area set aside by the federal government for the Indians’ use Sand Creek Massacre – 1864 incident in which a Colorado militia killed a camp of unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians Sitting Bull – Sioux chief respected as a fighter and spiritual leader Battle of the Little Big Horn – the site of a victory by Indians led by Crazy Horse and over 250 US soldiers led by Genearl George Custer.

Terms and People (continued) Chief Joseph – leader of the Nez Percés who surrendered after trying to lead a group of Indian refugees to Canada Wounded Knee – 1890 confrontation between U.S. cavalry and the Sioux that marked the end of Indian resistance in the Ghost Dance War where over 100 Indians were killed by US troops assimilate – to adopt the culture and civilization of the dominant group in a society Dawes General Allotment Act – 1887 law that divided reservation land into private family plots 3

How did the pressures of westward expansion impact Native Americans? As American settlers continued to push westward, they increasingly came into conflict with Native Americans. Such conflict often led to violence, with tragic results.

After the Civil War, about 250,000 Indians lived in the lands west of the Mississippi known as “The Great American Desert” 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. 6

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 once gold and silver were discovered in Indian territory Late 1860s - 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 8

1862 Sioux Indians put up a fight against the US government of their land in eastern Minnesota US fought back Pushed the Sioux into western part of the Dakotas This sparked a series of attacks on other settlements as other Indian groups felt their freedoms and life was slipping away.

Some Native Americans fought to defend their lands. At the Sand Creek Massacre, a Colorado militia killed an unarmed camp of Cheyenne and Arapahu 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. * United States Indian Peace Commission – lasting peace will only come if Natives settle on farms and adapt to white civilization 10

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 when they killed General Custer – Sitting Bull escaped to Canada. Chief Joseph and the Nez Percés surrendered after attempting to retreat 1300 miles to Canada. Their removal was quite harsh because they had assimilated by converting to Christianity and becoming cattle breeders 11

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 – now started the process of forcing the moving of the natives onto reservations 13

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 – 160 acres 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.