Westward Expansion and the American Indians by Megan Remaley

Cultures Under Pressure

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-02 16:16:53 UTC

More than 2,500 Native Americans were living in the Mississippi River region. The American desert was splattered with cultures who all saw themselves as one with nature. The United States wanted land for railroads and mining gold, so they forced all of the Indians into reservations. Reservations were areas set aside especially for Native Americans. While in the reservations, all of the buffalo that the Native Americans hunted were hunted by Western Settlers for their skin. The settlers also introduced diseases to the Native Americans that they had no cure for. The Native Americans were moved around and mistreated.

News Settlers vs. Native Americans; Rebellion on the Plains

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-02 16:26:34 UTC

After being moved into reservations, the Native Americans started to rebel. The Sioux Indians went head to head with the government. The Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 began when the Sioux Indians were pushed into Dakota. Eventually, other Plains Indians started to participate. In 1864, a militia group from Colorado came upon the Cheyenne and Arapaho camp. The camp was completely unarmed, even though they were under U.S. Army protection. The militia started an open fire, killing most of the Native Americans in the camp. The Native Americans tried to raise the American flag as an act of friendship, but the militia wouldn't stop. This became known as the Sand Creek Massacre.

The Peace Plan Fails

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-03 16:14:08 UTC

In 1866, the government made plans to build a road to connect gold-mining towns in Montana. This road happened to go straight through the Sioux hunting grounds, which didn't please the Native Americans. Red Cloud and all of his followers ambushed Captain William Fetterman, killing his entire militia. The United States Indian Peace Commission stated that peace would come if the Native Americans were Americanized and adopted the ways of the whites. The government signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. This meant that the Sioux agreed to live on the reservation and the government would abandon 3 forts and wouldn't build the road. In 1824, the Bureau of Indian Affairs was in charge of interactions between Native Americans and the government. The Bureau was in charge of handing out land to anyone who wanted to farm, creating schools and buildings, and making sure the Native Americans held their peace. The agents of the Bureau sometimes took resources and stole funds from the agency and didn't have the support to enforce the terms.

Red River War

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-03 16:28:45 UTC

The Red River War was the major defeat of the Plain Indians. It opened up Texas to white settlers and ended the herding of buffalo. The United States had failed to enforce the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge; white hunters were on Native American grounds, supplies wasn't delivered from the government, and whites who broke the law weren't punished. Native Americans attacked Texans along the Red River in 1874. The war was ended when the Native Americans surrendered.

Battle of the Little Big Horn

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-03 16:34:20 UTC

The Black Hills gold rush of 1875 created a problem when miners started to settle on the Siuox's land. Chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse tried to drive out the settlers, but this backfired. The government sent in the Army to attack. In 1876, colonel George Custer led his troops to fight the Native Americans. Arriving a day early, he came upon 2,000 Native Americans. Crazy Horse charged and this later become known as the Battle of the Little Big Horn, named after the river where the battle took place. Custer and his troops were killed off. The Army wanted revenge, and the Native Americans ran off to Canada. Crazy Horse eventually surrendered due to starvation and weather conditions.

Chief Joseph and the Nez Perces

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-05 15:35:37 UTC

The government moved the Nez Perces Native Americans in 1877. The Nez Perces were cattle and horse breeders who had a lot of pride in their land. However, the government wanted to make room for the new white settlers. To avoid fighting back, the leader of the Nez Perces, Chief Joseph, led his followers to Canada. They were stopped just outside of Canada, where they surrendered. They were placed in a reservation in Oklahoma.

Ghost Dance War at Wounded Knee

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-05 15:47:25 UTC

Native Americans, defeated time and time again, turned to religious revival. They based their religion on the Ghost Dance, meant to banish all white settlers and replenish the buffalo. This idea spread quickly, and in 1890, Sitting Bull was order to be arrested. He and others were killed when confronted. Native Americans fled and troops were sent after them. At Wounded Knee, SD, the Native Americans were defeated. This ended this Ghost Dance War.

Government Promotes Assimilation

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-05 15:52:22 UTC

Reservations ended up not working as well as the government had planned them. It was costly. The new idea was that if all of the buffalo went extinct, Native Americans would assimilate into the whites culture. While most were against Native Americans keeping their identity, some, like Helen Hunt Jackson, were all for it.

The Dawes Act

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-05 16:47:40 UTC

Congress passed a law that said Native American tribes shall be recognized as their own nation or tribe in 1871. They were to be treated as individuals. in 1887, The Dawes General Allotment Act was passed to replace the reservation system. Every Native American Family was given 180 acres of farmland so long as they didn't sell the land and it stayed in the family for 25 years. Missionaries were sent to build boarding schools for Native American children. After time, only a small amount of Native Americans were left.

Vocabulary

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:22:15 UTC

Native American skinning tools

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:41:49 UTC

These are a few tools that Native Americans used to skin buffalo.

Little Big Horn

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:45:58 UTC

This is an article from a local paper about the Custer Massacre, also known as the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Sioux Lyrics

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:52:00 UTC

These are a few Sioux songs about the Ghost Dance.

Sioux Weapons

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:54:36 UTC

This is a form of weaponry from the Sioux Indians. It's a three-blade club.

Plain Indians

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 02:59:00 UTC

This is a pair of pants that was worn by the Plain Indians. They're pony beaded hide trousers.

Housing

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:00:44 UTC

Teepees were typical Native American homes in the Plains.

Buffalo

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:03:54 UTC

Buffalo were hunted by Plain Indians for their hide.

Sitting Bull

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:06:32 UTC

This is Sitting Bull, a leader of the Sioux tribe.

Red River War

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:09:21 UTC

These soldiers are lined up to face the Native Americans at the edge of the Red River.

Reservations

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:12:10 UTC

This is a tribal gathering at an Indian Reservation in the late 1890's.

Boarding Schools

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:13:40 UTC

Boarding schools were built for Native American children in order to assimilate them.

Nez Perces

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:20:34 UTC

These are the Nez Perces Indians in 1900 as they prepare for war with a war dance.

Fort Laramie Treaty

user_1412180359 — 2014-10-06 03:23:07 UTC

This is a council meeting. The meeting was discussing the Fort Laramie Treaty made in 1868.