Natives and The Great West 1865-1896

Indians embattled in the west By 1890, territories were being carved out of the West Indians were being squeezed out and pushed onto reservations The period between 1865-1890 was the final showdown for independent Indian tribes Natives in the “Great West” Hunted and relied on the vast herds of Buffalo that roamed freely

Pressures on western lands Pre-Civil War Guns Disease Cattle Post Civil War Migration west by settlers- forced tribes further west Tribes caused to come in contact with each other, causing competition between tribes for land and resources Politicians Had Tried to Pacify Tribes with Treaties Treaty of Ft. Laramie- Tribes got $50,000 a year for 50 years in exchange for the govt. right to build roads and forts on the native land Treaty of Ft. Atkinson- Attempt to establish peace among Plains Indians, and facilitate the building of the Transcontinental Railroad This was the beginning of the reservation system out west

Fort Laramie Treaty Land Survey

Reservations Over time, Natives were confined to even smaller reservations Exchanged this for the promise to be left alone, food, or other supplies Reservations Northern Plains Indians- the large Dakota territory (“Great Sioux Reservation”) South- Indian Territory in present- day Oklahoma Promises broken Led to Sioux uprising in Minnesota during the Civil War- bloodily crushed

Indian Wars 1868-1890 Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Constant warfare between Indians and federal government Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Used to fight against natives Western Indians much bigger challenge than Eastern Indians

Receding Native populations Atrocities perpetrated by both sides Sand Creek Massacre- 1864 Surprise attack by US troops on Cheyenne Done during peace negotiations with federal government Indians attempted to surrender but US forces continued to attack Killed over 200 Cheyenne tribe members Led to Plains Indians Wars Fetterman Massacre- 1866 Powder River, Wyoming Indian forces defeated Captain Fetterman and killed all 81 troops Worst US military defeat against natives to that time

Battle of Little Big horn- June 1876 Custer leads expedition into Black Hills of S. Dakota Reports discovery of Gold in Sioux territory Hordes of gold seekers rush into Sioux territory Sioux attack “invaders”- led by Sitting Bull Custer’s 7th Cavalry sent to bring “peace” Custer’s troops wiped out at Little Big Horn- All 264 of Custer’s men Killed Gen. George A. Custer Chief Sitting Bull

Other native tribes Nez Perce Apache Go to war in Idaho- 1877 Government had shrunk their reservation by 90% Chief Joseph leads on 1700 mile trek to avoid US military Surrendered and sent to reservation in Kansas, where 40% die of disease Apache Located in AZ and NM Most difficult to subdue Most aggressive Led by Geronimo Ultimately resettled in OK

Buffalo as a control tool 1865- 15 million buffalo on plains 1885- fewer than 1000 By 1870’s many Natives had left their reservations Mostly to hunt buffalo Buffalo rapidly disappearing Professional buffalo hunters, seeking hides Some killed for sport, leaving carcasses to rot Railroad companies paid sharpshooters to kill buffalo on tracks US Army encouraged killing to force N.A. back onto reservations

The End of the Trail 1880’s national consciousness awakening Helen Hunt Jackson- A Century of Dishonor Humanitarians Christianize the Indians Turn them into productive farmers Integrate them as citizens Hardliners insisted on forced containment

Assimilating Indians Christian missionaries Ghost Dance Cult Ignored the culture of tribes Tried to force Indian culture out on reservations- didn’t work Ghost Dance Cult Provided hope and unity US government outlaws the performance of Ghost Dance Wounded Knee Massacre US troops attack group gathered for Ghost Dance Sitting Bull Killed 200 Lakota men, women, children killed Last major conflict between natives and US government

Dawes severalty act- 1887 Attempts to transform Indians into farmers Ends reservation policy- marks shift in Indian policy Provisions Wiped out tribal joint ownership of land Individual family heads given 160 acres of land Full title ownership given in 25 years if behaved Leftover reservation land sold, money used to educate and “civilize’ Indians Missionaries and teachers sent to reservations to Christianize and teach women to sew and keep house

“Kill the Savage, Save the Man” Indian schools Apache children at their arrival at the Carlisle Indian School (PA) The same children 4 months later

Failure of the dawes act Why do you think the Dawes Act Failed? Few natives had the training or enthusiasm to farm Many sold land to white settlers, further reducing the size of the reservations By 1900, Indians had lost half of the land they had held 20 years earlier Dawes act remained basic framework for Native relations until 1934 Later changed to Indian Reorganization Act- tried to restore native culture