1. American Indians Under Pressure !
Topic 2.1

2. Nomads
People who move their homes regularly, usually in search of available food sources

3. Great Plains
Vast grassland between the Mississippi river and the Rocky Mountains

4. Great Plains Life of The Plains Indians
Buffalo provided life-sustaining supplies to the Plains Indians

5. The Indian Problem Why do we have difficulties?
Different concept of land.
Settlers viewed the land as a resource that could be used to produce wealth
Clashed with Native American traditions

6. Treaties
Government tried to restrict movement of Native Americans by Negotiating treaties
Reservations
Federal land set aside for Native Americans
Misunderstanding and fraud
Gold miners refused to stay off the land.

7. Sand Creek Massacre, 1864 In the fall of 1864 Promised protection
Chief Black Kettle and other chiefs camped at Sand Creek near Fort Lyons (Cheyenne and Arapaho)

8. Sand Creek Massacre, 1864
Men. Women, and Children slaughtered while trying to surrender
Colonel Chivington wants a military victory
Black Kettle tries to surrender.

9. Little Bighorn-1876 The Black Hills Gold Rush of 1875
Drew prospectors onto Sioux hunting grounds in the Dakotas and neighboring Montana
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull assembled to drive them out

10. Little Bighorn
The U.S. Army sent its own troops against the Native Americans
Lieutenant George A. Custer
Custer sent to round up Indians
Custer split up his forces expecting a smaller enemy

11. Little Bighorn
He invades sacred Sioux grounds, and rushes ahead of other army regiments to Little Bighorn.
2,000 Sioux warriors cut him off. 250 soldiers dead

12. This was Custer’s Last Stand
Stunned Americans!
Army flooded the area forced most Sioux back to their reservations

13. 1877- NEZ PERCE INDIANS CHIEF JOSEPH: Idaho A CONVERTED CHRISTIAN
PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE with THE WHITE MAN.
CHIEF JOSEPH

14. CONFLICT: THE GOVT. BROKE THE TREATY FROM 1866
U.S. TOOK BACK HIS FATHERS LAND
REFUSING TO MOVE TO A SMALLER RESERVATION, CHIEF JOSEPH CHOSE TO FIGHT THE MOVE
PLAN WAS TO LEAD HIS TRIBE TO CANADA.

15. CHIEF JOSEPH WALKED MORE THAN1300 MILES
Stopped just short of the border
ARMY FINALLY CAUGHT THEM
THEY WERE THEN SENT TO RESERVATIONS IN OKLAHOMA

16. Wounded Knee-1890 Prophecies spread.
Return to traditional life if people performed purification ceremonies The Ghost Dance religion forms.
Their leader, Sitting Bull, is arrested.
Sitting Bull hesitates. The soldiers shoot him.

17. Wounded Knee In response a group of Sioux left their reservation
Troops sent out after them
During disarmament, shots are fired – MASSACRE! More than 100 men, women, and children died
This was the last armed battle of the Indian Wars.

18. WHAT ENDED THE INDIANS WAY OF LIFE?
1. THE RAILROAD- BROUGHT THE SOLDIERS, SETTLERS, MINERS, AND BUFFALO HUNTERS.
2. DAWES ACT FORCE THE INDIAN INTO ACCEPTING THE LIFESTYLE / VALUES OF THE WHITE MAN (Farmers).

19. Assimilation What’s next?
Most still believed that Native Americans still needed to be “civilized” Assimilation into American society
Assimilation the process by which one society becomes a part of another, more dominant society by adopting its culture We want to AMERICANIZE the Indian

20. Assimilation
General assimilation (Americanization) Bring them to civilization give up their traditions learn English Christianity white dress & customs learn a trade

21. Army Captain Richard H. Pratt opened the United States Indian Training and Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

23. Before and after picture at the Indian school in Carlisle Pennsylvania

24. Opening of the Indian Territory
1889-When all western lands were taken, the government opened the only land left, the Oklahoma Indian Territory

25. Conclusion
Not successful Indians did not join the American mainstream.
By the end of the century, disease and poverty had reduced the Indian population to just 200,000.

26. Moving West
Frontier - “the land or territory that forms the furthest extent of a country's settled or inhabited regions
Harsh weather
Vast area
Native Americans

27. Westward Migration Westward Migration “Push” Factors “Pull” Factors
Civil War displaced Thousands
Exodusters -50,000 migrated west
Farmland became costly in the East
Failed enterprises
Religious repression
Sheltered outlaws on the run
“Pull” Factors
Pacific Railway Acts
Morrill Land-Grant Act
Homestead Act
Property rights