ch. 13-1 the fight for the west american history
TRANSCRIPT
CH. 13 THE AMERICAN WEST
CH. 13-1 THE FIGHT FOR THE WEST
AMERICAN HISTORY
White settlers began streaming into the West Clashes between Native Americans and white
settlers over control of the land
CULTURE OF THE PLAINS INDIANS Northern Plains--Sioux, Blackfoot, Cheyenne Southern Plains—Kiowa, Comanche Thrived due to abundance of wild buffalo Food, clothing, shelter, supplies
STAGE SET FOR CONFLICT
Plains Indians were nomadic following the migration of the buffalo
They did not believe land should be bought and sold
Most white settlers were farmers or town dwellers
The believed the land should be divided and given to people to establish farms or businesses
Native American land would be available for the taking if it was vacated
GOVERNMENT POLICY Before mid-1800s—Army forcibly removed
Native Americans from the East and relocated them further west
1850s—US Government began seizing Indian lands and sending Indians to reservations
The goal was to break the power of the Indians and open up land for settlement
DESTRUCTION OF THE BUFFALO Reservations threatened the buffalo-
centered way of life Vast buffalo herds were being driven to
extinction 1800—60 million buffalo lived on the
plains
1894—as few as 25 buffalo remained Several causes to loss of buffalo: 1) reduced grazing land 2) migration routes cut off 3) disease from settlers’ livestock US Army encouraged the destruction
of the buffalo to wipe out Indian food supplies and force them to reservations
Most dramatic cause was hunting buffalo for sport and profit
Expansion of railroads allowed buffalo hides to be shipped east
Hides were used to make belts for factories and fashionable robes
Railroads offered “hunting specials” Riders could shoot buffalos from the
train
Slaughter was so massive that some railroads canceled their specials because the stench of buffalo carcasses sickened passengers
Tensions between settlers and the Plains Indians escalated into decades of violence
This violence became known as the Indian Wars
THE SAND CREEK MASSACRE Colorado territory—Cheyenne raided
nearby ranches in 1864 Army offered amnesty if they would
return to the reservation at Sand Creek Chief Black Kettle wanted peace and
led his people back Nov. 29, 1864—before dawn Col. John
M. Chivington arrived with 700 men
THE INDIAN WARS
Black Kettle raised American and white flag as a sign of peace
Chivington did not want peace “It is not possible for Indians to obey or even
understand any treaty. To kill them is the only way we will ever have peace…in Colorado.”
Chivington’s men opened fire—about 150 people, mostly women, children, and elderly were killed.
They burned the camp to the ground
The troops returned to Denver with scalps to a cheering crowd
Congressional investigation condemned the attack but Chivington was not punished
TREATIES After Sand Creek, Cheyenne and
Sioux Indians stepped up raids
Settlers were traveling through sacred Sioux hunting ground along the Bozeman Trail
Sioux Chief Red Cloud tried to negotiate an end to white encroachment
December 1866—Sioux attacked a supply wagon train outside Fort Kearny
Army patrol of 80 soldiers tried to drive off the Indians but were all killed in the attack
Government agreed to close Bozeman Trail Officials pressured Sioux to sign the
Second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along
the Missouri River Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne, and other
southern nations forced to sign the Medicine Lodge Treaty
Those nations would live on a reservation in what is now western Oklahoma
BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN Lakota Sioux conducted raids on white
settlers who moved into Sioux lands All Lakota Sioux ordered back to the
reservation by January 31, 1876 but they refused
The matter was turned over to the military About 2,000 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho
gathered neat the Little Bighorn River
Sioux Chief Sitting Bull conducted a ceremonial sun dance and said he had a vision of a great victory over soldiers
Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer also had visions of a great victory
June 25, 1876—Custer led his troops into battle against superior numbers of Indians
Custer and his troops were quickly encircled and slaughtered
US Government more determined to put down the Indian threat.
THE BATTLE OF PALO DURO CANYON Texas Panhandle—Col. Ranald McKenzie caught
Comanches, Kiowas, Cheyennes preparing a winter camp in fall 1874
The cavalry was sent in. Some Indians fled and some defended their camp
McKenzie’s men slaughtered 1,000+ Indian ponies and destroyed all food stores
Starving Comanches moved onto the reservation the following spring
The Indian Wars in the southern plains were over.
THE GHOST DANCE Paiute shaman, Wovoka, received a
powerful vision in1889. He said the Indian dead would live, the
buffalo would return, and the settlers would leave
His vision turned into a religious movement known to outsiders as The Ghost Dance
August 1890—newspapers said the Ghost Dance was a sign of an upcoming uprising
A small but vocal group of whites asked the government for help
December 1890—military ordered the arrest of Sitting Bull
A skirmish broke out and Sitting Bull was killed
Many of Sitting Bull’s band fled west and surrendered to US troops.
They were relocated to Wounded Knee Creek, in present-day South Dakota
THE WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE The next morning, Col. James Forsythe
(7th Cav.) ordered Sioux to give up rifles A young Indian, Black Coyote, would
not give his up In the struggle the gun went off and
instantly both side began shooting About half of the Sioux men were killed
right away
Women and children fled but were pursued By the end, about 300 men, women, and children
lay dead. Bodies of women and children were found 3 miles
from the camp Wounded Knee shocked many Americans Gen. Nelson Miles was outraged and removed
Forsythe from his command 3 officers and 15 enlisted men received the Medal
of Honor for their actions The conflict between the Army and the Plains
Indians was over.
RESISTANCE IN THE NORTHWEST 1855—The Nez Perce agreed to move onto a
reservation in Idaho and Oregon 1863—gold miners and settlers began
streaming into the area and the government took back 90% of the Nez Perce land
1877—Nez Perce ordered to give up the remaining land and move onto a small section of Idaho
Nez Perce Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed
RESISTANCE ENDS IN THE WEST
Hostilities broke out between settlers and young Nez Perce
The Indians were forced to flee with the army in pursuit
The Nez Perce fled toward Canada fighting battles along the way
40 miles from the border the Army forced them to surrender
“I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed…It is cold, and we have no more blankets. The little children are freezing to death…My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever”—Chief Joseph’s surrender (1877)
The Nez Perce were taken to eastern Kansas and then to Indian Territory (OK), where many died.
Some went back to Idaho but Chief Joseph and others were sent to northern Washington state
RESISTANCE IN THE SOUTHWEST 1870s—Apache had been moved to
San Carlos Reservation 1881—Soldiers forcefully stopped a
religious gathering Apache leader Geronimo and other
fled Geronimo’s band led raids on both
sides of the AZ-Mexico border for years
Geronimo briefly returned to the reservation in 1884 but then resumed raiding settlements
Geronimo was captured in September 1886 and sent to an Apache internment camp in Florida as prisons of war
This ended the resistance in the Southwest
2 reasons for reservations: 1) the government wanted control of all western
territories 2) many Americans wanted Indians to abandon
their native culture and live like white men
AMERICANIZATION Government should adopt a policy of
Americanization Indians should give up their culture and live like
white men
LIFE ON THE RESERVATION
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)—federal agency that managed Native American reservations
“You are therefore directed to induce your male Indians to cut their hair, and both sexes to stop painting [their faces]…The wearing of citizens’ clothing, instead o the Indian costume and blanket should be encouraged.”—BIA
Government built Indian schools miles away from their homes
Students could only speak English and they could not wear traditional clothing
THE DAWES ACT 1877—siginificant step toward
Americanization Reservations broken up and Native
Americans turned into individual property owners
Each head of family received 160 acres Each single person, aged 18+, received
40 acres Any land left over would be sold
The BIA thought land ownership would provide Indians incentive to succeed
Indians got less productive land and the best land was sold off
Most received desert-like land unsuitable for farming
If Indians received good land, they couldn’t afford tools, animals, or seed
THE END