Section 1 Cultures Clash on the Prairie The cattle industry booms in the late 1800s, as the culture of the Plains Indians declines

Government policy ► Early 1800's – ► Indian Removal: All tribes east of the Mississippi forced to move to Indian Territory in modern-day Oklahoma. ► Mid 1800's - U.S. Gov changes policy to Containment ► Reservations -special areas used by a specific group - Indians agreed to live on reservations based on the promise that the land would be theirs forever (signed Treaties with the U.S. Gov.) - They were also promised food, money and other help

Clash of culture ► Indians and settlers looked at the world differently ► Settlers felt that the resources were their to be used - Large scale hunting, mining, and farming ► Plains Indians used only the resources they needed for their actual needs - They saw the white settlers as being greedy and destructive

Plains Wars: 1860’s-1880’s ► By 1860's - Treaties were being broken by both sides ► Settlers continued to pass through areas where they were not allowed ► Groups of Indians raided white settlements and wagon trains ► Sand Creek Massacre - Colorado militia attacked Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek - Indians thought they were under the protection of a nearby government outpost - Over 100 Indians were slaughtered (including women and children)

Plains Wars: 1860’s-1880’s ► Chief Red Cloud (Sioux:) defeated Captain W.J. Fetterman and 80 U.S. army soldiers Led them into a trap and killed them

Battle of Little Big Horn ► Little Bighorn (most famous battle of the Indian wars) ► The Black Hills of South Dakota had been set aside for the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne ► U.S. Army exploring party found gold - Settlers went looking for gold - Gov. tried to buy the Black Hills (Sioux considered land sacred) and Sioux warrior left their reservations and united under the leadership of two Sioux chiefs (Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse)

Battle of Little Big Horn ► June 25, George Armstrong Custer and several hundred army soldiers found a Sioux camp near the Little Bighorn River - Custer gained fame fighting in Civil War - Admirers considered him a daring brilliant officer - Critics considered him a dangerous showoff ► Custer had orders to attack any Indians he came into contact with ► When he attacked he was actually stepping into a trap ► Custer and all of his men were killed - Became known as "Custer's Last Stand"

Battle of Little Big Horn ► People in the East were shocked by the news of the Battle of Little Bighorn - U.S. Gov. sent 1000's of troops to fight the Indians ► The Battle of Little Bighorn was the last Indian Victory in the Indian Wars U.S. Army defeated the Sioux - Sitting Bull and his followers escaped to Canada ► Crazy Horse was arrested - He was fatally stabbed as he was being arrested - Not sure if guard or another Indian stabbed him

Chief Joseph ► Led the Nez Perce people ► Nez Perce lived in northwest (Oregon and Idaho) - Fished for salmon, gathered food, and hunted ► Chief Joseph refused to sell land to government ► Gov. ordered the Nez Perce people to move to a reservation - They fled and tried to evade the army ► Captured about 40 miles south of Canada - Chief Joseph made speech - Said that he would fight no more

Southwest Indians ► Navajo were forced to move to reservations in the east - March called "The Long Walk" ► Reservation was a failure - Navajo allowed to return home ► Mid 1870's - Apache were forced to move away from their traditional territory - Geronimo - led his people off the reservation - Evaded the army many times due to their knowledge of southern Arizona Geronimo captured and forced to live far away from his people

Indians way of life destroyed ► Whites killed buffalo ► Indians depended on buffalo ► Indians were unable to survive without the buffalo ► Many Indians turned to the Ghost Dance Religion - It taught that the spirits of the dead Indians would return to help the Indians reclaim their land ► Many whites were fearful of this movement - Asked the army for help - Cavalry rounded up Sioux men on the Pine Ridge Reservation - Place called wounded knee

Indians way of life destroyed ► Wounded Knee Massacre men, women, and children Sioux were killed - Considered to be the last battle of the Indian Wars

Assimilation ► Conditions grew worse as more Indians were forced on to reservations ► Reformers began calling for changes ► Many white though that only solution was to make the Indians become more like the whites - Assimilation - to adopt the culture of the people around you

Assimilation ► Dawes Act (1887) - intended to make Indians give up their traditions and accept White customs - Reservation lands were divided up in farm plots for families and individuals (40 to 160 acres) - Any remaining land was sold to white settlers - Profits used to pay for Indian schools - Indians who accepted the plots of land could become citizens for the 1st time ► Dawes Act failed - Many western Indians didn't want to settle down as farmers - Lacked tools and training - Many sold their plots to white settlers cheap ► End 1800's - situation of the American Indians was tragic - Lost land, people, and culture - 20th century U.S. government finally realizes importance of Indian way of life