Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Chapter 15 Section 2 Westward Expansion and the American Indians

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 How did the pressures of westward expansion impact Native Americans? As American settlers continued to push west, they increasingly came into conflict with Native Americans. Such conflict often led to violence, with tragic results. Focus Question

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 After the Civil War, about 250,000 Indians lived in the lands west of the Mississippi. Had different belief systems Spoke different languages Lived in different types of houses Ate different foods Native Americans came from many diverse cultures. Native Americans

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 The diverse Indian peoples, however, shared a common view toward nature—a view that conflicted with that of many white Americans. Native Americans saw themselves as part of nature and viewed nature as sacred. Many white Americans viewed the land as a resource to produce wealth. Native Americans and Nature

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 During the 1800s, the government carried out a policy of moving Indians out of the way of white settlers. Indians were forced into reservations, no longer free to roam the Plains. At first, Indians in the East were moved west, into the Indian Territory of the Plains. As frontier settlers continued pushing west, however, this plan changed. Resettlement

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Two other crises also threatened Native American civilizations. Disease Loss of the buffalo Settlers introduced diseases to which Indians had no immunity. Settlers slaughtered buffalo herds. Native Americans in Crisis

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Some Native Americans fought to defend their lands. The Sand Creek Massacre saw an unarmed camp of Indians under the U.S. Army protection killed by Colorado militia. But attacks and retaliation led to distrust—and to tragedy. Promises were made and peace treaties were signed, but they often were broken. Native Americans Fight Back

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Frustration turned to violence as the government moved to crush Indian resistance. The Red River War led to the defeat of the Southern Plains Indians. The Sioux were victorious at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Chief Joseph and the Nez Percés surrendered after attempting to retreat to Canada. Fighting Continues

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Fearful of insurrection, government officials tried to ban the practice. The ritual preached that white settlers would be banished and the buffalo would return. As their way of life slipped away, some Indians turned to a religious revival based on the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance Movement

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 However, he was killed in a confrontation with U.S. troops. More than 100 Indians who fled were killed at Wounded Knee. The Indian Wars were over. In an effort to end the Ghost Dance, the government attempted to arrest Sitting Bull. Wounded Knee

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Some critics attacked government policies and defended the Indians’ way of life. Most leaders, however, hoped that Native Americans would assimilate into American life. Assimilation

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War BeginsWestward Expansion and the American Indians Section 2 Replaced the reservation system with an allotment system Granted each Indian family its own plot of land Specified the land could not be sold for 25 years In 1887, Congress passed the Dawes General Allotment Act to encourage assimilation. Dawes General Allotment Act