The Great West: Native Americans
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Transcript of The Great West: Native Americans
In 1890 Census, government said that the frontier (place of uninhabited wilderness in the West) was closed
No more empty land in America?Frederick Jackson Turner writes his Frontier
Thesis encouraging “rugged individualism”Meaning that people can support themselves
out West
Living in what was known as the “Great American Desert”…not really a desert at allWere promised by the US government
that land would be theirs forever…not really
Most numerous were the Plains IndiansNomadic, followed the buffaloDid not think of land as property that
could belong to just one person…different from American concept of land
Sioux Nation
White man’s diseaseGold was discovered in
California bringing more settlers to the West…trample on Indian land
Railroad was being built that needed to go through Indian TerritoryThis need led to the
government setting up reservations that would put Indian tribes on smaller specific areas…but many are nomadic
the center of Indian lifeWhite settlers killed off
thousandsHunters invaded,
trading fur in the EastSome killed for sport
leaving the carcasses to rot Indians see their way of
life rottingRR companies hired
sharpshooters to kill those obstructing traffic (Buffalo Riders)
Encouraged by US army…would keep the Indians from being nomadic
Living on reservations and doing well but land was needed for white settlersEssentially playing by the rules
but still not good enough for the white man
Chief Joseph tried to escape US troops by heading into Canada
Troops caught up with them and Chief Joseph surrendered“I will fight no more forever”Were sent to unfertile lands in
Oklahoma
1. What threatened farmers in the late 1800s causing them to invest in barbed wire?
a. Corn farmingb. Cattle ranchingc. Sheep ranching
2. What invention allowed cattle ranches to thrive and increase sales of beef?
a. Barbed wireb. Refrigerator rail carsc. Vaccines
3. What impact did the railroad have on Native Americans?
a. They built the railroads
b. They were forced to move further west
c. They were forced to move onto reservations
4. Why did the army feel it was justified in their treatment of Native Americans?
Indians had been attacking settlers to keep a hold of their lands…raised the distrust among settlers
Unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho are attacked by Colorado militia for no reasonKilled men, women and childrenIndians tried to signal that they
were of no threatCreated even more Indian resistance and military occupation
Gold is discovered in Sioux territory…white men try to take it
Sioux send out their troops and so does the US Army under Colonel Custer
250 soldiers vs. 2,000 IndiansIndians charged killing
Custer and all of his menOne of the very few Indians
victories
With so many threats to their way of life, Indians start to practice the Ghost Dance, thought that it wouldBanish white settlersBring back the buffalo
Frightened the government…they order the arrest of Sitting Bull who was leading the Ghost Dance
When the troops come to arrest Sitting Bull, they disarm the Indians…fire is shot?…troops react by killing over 300 Sioux
Buried in a mass grave…disrespectful in any culture not just Indians
18 Congressional Medals of Honor awarded to the troops
Blizzard hits
and the bodies are left there to freeze
Reservation life was not working so government suggested assimilation (adopting the culture and civilization of whites)
Helen Hunt Jackson criticized the government’s treatment of Indians in her book A Century of DishonorTalked of broken treaties
and the plight/poor condition of Indians
Replaced the reservation system (placing TRIBES on land) with an allotment system (placing FAMILIES on land)
Each Indian family was given 160 acresNot enough for farming in the West, only in the EastLand could not be sold for 25 yearsSignificance: Attempt to assimilate Indians by giving
them land but they don’t even know how to farm
1. This ritual was supposed to restore the Native American way of life, but made the US believe tribes were becoming more hostile.
a. Ghost Danceb. Assimilationc. Purification Rites
2. What was designed to assimilate Native Americans by encouraging them to become farmers?
a. Emancipationb. Homestead Actc. Dawes Act
3. Who defeated the Americans at Little Bighorn, encouraged the Ghost Dance, but was killed while being arrested?
a. Crazy Horseb. Sitting Bullc. Chief Joseph
4. Why was the Dawes Act a failure?