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The Great West

The Great West. Native Americans Under Siege: 1854-1890. Native American Life. Organized into tribes, which were usually subdivided into "bands" of about 500 men and women, each with a governing council .

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The Great West

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  1. The Great West Native Americans Under Siege: 1854-1890

  2. Native American Life • Organized into tribes, which were usually subdivided into "bands" of about 500 men and women, each with a governing council. • Women assumed domestic & artistic roles, while men hunted, traded, and supervised religious & military life. • Each tribe’s warrior class competed with others to demonstrate bravery. • Never successfully united politically or militarily against white power, thus contributing to their defeat by the white society.

  3. Native American Policies • 1851: Concentration Policy - US government tried to concentrate Native Americans into areas north & south of those intended for white settlement. • 1860s: Relocation Policy – Native Americans were herded into still smaller areas • Sioux"guaranteed" sanctuary of Black Hills in Dakota Territory. • Other tribes relocated to "Indian Territory" (present-day Oklahoma) • Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior was put in charge of the reservations.

  4. Indian Wars • 1854-1890: Near constant warfare raged in West between Native Americans & whites. • US troops were largely Civil War veterans. • 1/5 of all soldiers assigned to frontier were black (Buffalo Soldiers) • Led by Sherman, Sheridan, & Custer.

  5. Sand Creek Massacre: 1864 • November 1864: Colonel John Chivington’smilitia massacred more than 200 Indians who had just signed a peace treaty with the US government

  6. Great Sioux War: 1876-1877 • 1874: Gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota. • May 1875: Sioux leaders traveled to Washington, DC in order to persuade the government to honor existing treaties • November 1875: Sioux were ordered to return to their reservation. • February 1876: The matter was turned over to the US army.

  7. Great Sioux War: 1876-1877 • June1876: Battle of Little Big Horn • Colonel George Custer’s forces clashed with nearly 4000 well armed warriors led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull • Custer, along with more than 250 of his men were killed • US reinforcements chased Sitting Bull to Canada where he received political asylum; hunger forced them to return & surrender by 1876.

  8. Nez Perce War: 1877 • 1855: Nez Perce ceded much land to US in return for large reservation in Oregon and Idaho; later ceded more lands when gold was discovered. • June 1877: US government ordered the Nez Perce to move to a reservation in Idaho. • Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph, began a 75-day, 1300 mile trek; forced to surrender 40 miles south of the Canadian border • October 1877: Nez Perce were moved south to a malaria infested camp in Kansas before their final relocation in Oklahoma

  9. Apache Wars: 1874-1886 • 1874: US government ordered the Apache onto a reservation in San Carlos, Arizona • About ½ of the Indians, led by Geronimo, escaped to Mexico • Throughout the 1870s & early 1880, Geronimo raided settlements on both sides of the US-Mexican border • 1884: Geronimo surrendered to the US army • 1885: Geronimo, along with a small band of warriors & their families escaped again • 1886: Geronimo & his followers were captured & held as prisoners of war in Florida • 1894: Geronimo was sent to Fort Still, Oklahoma

  10. The Wounded Knee Massacre: 1890 • Last major clash between US troops & Native Americans • Issue: The US army was sent to end sacred "Ghost Dance" performed by Dakota Sioux. • Believers expected the white man to disappear from Native lands & for the buffalo to return in abundance. • Indian agents feared it was a prelude to an attack. • They ordered Sitting Bull’s arrest. • He, along with 6 policemen & 7 supporters died in the mayhem that followed. • His supporters fled.

  11. The Wounded Knee Massacre: 1890 • December 29: The Dakota Sioux were intercepted on the edge of the Wounded Knee Creek. • The US Army ordered the Sioux to surrender their weapons. • Yellow Bird began to perform the Ghost Dance. • Black Coyote, who was deaf, refused to surrender his rifle which discharged. • Within minutes, 200 Sioux were dead. • The US Army then went after the fleeing women & children, killing them as well.

  12. Results of the Indian Wars • National sentiment began to urge reform toward Native Americans. • 1881: Helen Hunt Jackson: A Century of Dishonor • Chronicled the record of government ruthlessness & deceit toward Native Americans • Had similar emotional impact of Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin • Inspired the movement to assimilate Native Americans "for their own good."

  13. Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 • Provisions: • Dissolved many tribes as legal entities. • Wiped out tribal ownership of land. • Set up individual Native American family heads with allotment of 160 free acres. • Allowed for US citizenship in 25 years. • Results • Army-style boarding schools were set up where Indians prohibited to exercise any portion of their culture. • 2/3 of Indians’ remaining land was lost. • Remained official Indian policy until 1934. • Helped Indian population to grow from about 243,000 in 1887 to 1.5 million in 1990.

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