1. Cultures Clash on the Plains
Westward Movement
Cultures Clash on the Plains

2. Cultures of the Plains
Great Plains: Grassland of the central United States extending West to the Rocky Mountains
Home to the Plains Indians – nomadic, buffalo hunting Native Americans who rely on horses 1

3. The Great Plains

4. Plains Indian Tribes – Mid 19th Century (2)

5. Cultures of the Plains Belief in communal land ownership
Group decision making
Warlike, hunting culture
Spiritual connection to the land
Buffalo of vital importance

6. American Interest in the West
Mid 1800’s, American settlers begin moving West into Indian lands
See traditional Indian lands as “wasted,” undeveloped, un-owned
Seek to establish ranches, mining claims, and homesteads
Government had given Great Plains to Indians in 1834, now sign new treaties to divide land further

7. American Interests in the West
Events Bring Settlers and Indians into Contact:
1849 California Gold Rush
1858 Gold Strike in Colorado
1862 Homestead Act
Transcontinental Railroad - brings more and more Americans west
Completed by Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads (built by Chinese and Irish immigrants)
Promontory Point Utah, Railroad is completed
Leads to destruction of the buffalo

8. Indian Resistance Treaties are broken on both sides
Violence between Whites and Indians becomes more pronounced
Massacre of Cheyenne at Sand Creek, CO, 1864
Fetterman’s Massacre of Sioux and Cheyenne warriors under Red Cloud and Crazy Horse annihilate 81 US Soldiers
Results in closing of Bozeman Trail, which ran through land the Indians regarded as sacred

9. The Indian Wars
Indians being forced onto reservations - Fort Laramie Treaty
Some fiercely resist – US Army sent to end resistance
At Little Bighorn*, Montana Territory, Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and others lead gathered tribes to victory over Custer’s 7th Cavalry
Custer’s entire command is killed 1

11. Defeat and Assimilation
Little Bighorn brings outrage – Americans determined to defeat “rogue” tribes
Sioux defeated by end of ‘76, sent to Reservation
Nez Perce Indians under Chief Joseph pursued over miles before surrendering
“I will fight no more forever.”

12. Defeat and Assimilation
Helen Hunt Jackson – Century of Dishonor
Influential book about American mistreatment of Indians
Many favor ASSIMILATION – plan where Native Americans give up traditional way of life and adopt white culture
Dawes Act of 1887 – Breaks up communal reservation lands in 160 acre plots – idea is to make Indians more like white farmers

13. End of Resistance Last “Gasp”  GHOST DANCE MOVEMENT
Destruction of Buffalo
1800 – 65 Million Buffalo
Sioux Spiritual movement, scared whites on reservations
1890 – Less than 1000
Dance is banned, Sitting Bull is killed in skirmish
Massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee is last “battle” of Indian Wars