1. American Interests After
Reconstruction -
Lands given by treaty to Indian groups
-California Gold Rush, 1848
-Homestead Act, 1862 – Congress offering 160 acres of free land to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of the household.
-Transcontinental railroad building
led to massacre of the buffalo herds
-Central and Union Pacific Railroads
-Irish and Chinese Immigrants
-Promontory Point, Utah, 1869 – West and East Meet; Transcontinental RR complete

2. The Chinese and Irish helped build 100s of miles of railroads in the US but were treated poorly and were not paid fair wages

3. -Indians forced onto reservations
Indian Restrictions
-treaties were broken
-Indians forced onto reservations
-gov’t payment and supplies were not delivered as promised
-Indian Uprisings
-Dakota Uprising, 1862
Massacre at Sand Creek, 1864
John Chivington leads Army unit in massacre of Cheyenne
-Fetterman’s Massacre, 1866
-Fetterman’s small army band crushed by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Red Cloud’s warriors

4. -Gold found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas
Indian Wars
-Gold found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas
-Sioux try to defend area promised to them
-Army sends George Armstrong Custer
-Little Bighorn, 1876
Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull lead warriors as Custer and all his men were killed!

5. -Led by Chief Joseph, they refused to go to reservation
Indian Wars
-Nez Perce Indians, 1877
-Led by Chief Joseph, they refused to go to reservation
-chased by the Army for over 1000 miles until captured
-”I will fight no more forever”
End of the Indian Lifestyle
assimilation
education of Indians to be more like whites
-destruction of the buffalo
Dawes Severalty Act – gov’t promised land to Indians to farm if they assimilated (Gov’t took most of it away later)

6. End of the Indian Lifestyle
-Ghost Dance Movement - a Native American movement that called for a return to traditional ways of life and challenged white dominance in society
Sioux spiritual dance
Dance was outlawed
-Wounded Knee, 1890
massacre of several hundred Sioux; In 1890, after killing Sitting Bull, the 7th Cavalry rounded up Sioux at this place in South Dakota and 200 Natives were murdered and only a baby survived.
-**Indian era comes to an end**