The American Indians
The Plains Indians
o By 1860, 360,000 Native Americans inhabited the United States
o Many of them, living on the Great Plains, were in the path of the widening American frontier
o Many, uprooted from established settlements, lived nomadic existences on the Plains
 Prominently, the Cheyenne and Sioux tracked the great bison herds
o Interactions with white Americans
 Hostilities between US soldiers and nearby Indian tribes decimated American Indian ranks
 Settlers spread cholera, typhoid and smallpox
 The US government established treaties – marking the boundaries between settlers and American Indians
 American Indians began to be moved into “reservations”, with promises, of food, clothing and supplies
Often, the food was rotten, and the supplies useless
Indian agents often profited by cutting corners and cheating Indians
 The railroads brought countless soldiers, farmers, cattlemen, miners, and settlers
 The introduction of alcohol was devastating to many Indian cultures
The Dwindling Bison Culture
o Cattle, brought by settlers, grazed on the land, shrinking the food supply of the bison
o Bison were hunted by settlers, tourists, railroad men, and hide dealers, massively depleting the herds
o Reduced from 15 million in 1865, to under 3,000 by 1885
o Reduced numbers of bison led to fierce competition between Indian tribes
The Indian Wars
o 1864 – Sand Creek Colorado – 400 Indians were massacred by the US military, under Col. Chivington, after being
promised immunity
o 1866 – the “Fetterman massacre” – 81 soldiers and civilians led by Captain Wm. Fetterman, were killed by Sioux
attempting to block the Bozeman Trail to Montana
 The federal government abandoned the Bozeman Trail in 1868, under the Treaty of Fort Laramie
o 1874 – Sioux Indians, led by Sitting Bull, launched attacks on settlers invading Sioux territory in the Black Hills of
South Dakota – brought by discovery of gold in the Black Hills
o 1876 – Little Bighorn – Col. Custer and ~250 men were decimated by ~2,500 Sioux warriors
o 1877 – Nez Perce Indians, led by Chief Joseph, attempted to resist being placed on a reservation.
 Upon eventually capitulating, they were sent to Kansas, rather than their ancestral homelands in Idaho
o 1890 – Wounded Knee – 200+ Sioux were killed in a battle with federal troops over their practice of the Ghost
Dance
o Other, smaller wars took place in various parts of the west
New Approaches
o 1881 – Helen Hunt Jackson – A Century of Dishonor
 Outlined the government’s unfair dealings with American Indians, and constant betrayals
o Both reformers and hard-liners held little respect for native traditions or culture
 Christian reformers withheld food from those who would not surrender traditional religions
 In 1884, the sacred Sun Dance was outlawed by the federal government
 The newly emerging cult of the Ghost Dance was also persecuted
o The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887
 Dissolved many tribes, and eliminated tribal ownership of land
 Broke Indian territory up into 160 acre plots, distributed to individual American Indian families
 Excess land was to be sold to the railroads and to white settlers
The money gained would be used to educate, assimilate, and civilize American Indians
 American Indian children were frequently sent to Indian Schools
There, they were taught how not to be Indians…
o The slow destruction of Indian culture did result in a slow resurgence of Indian population
 With fewer wars, and reduced mistreatment, Native American populations began to rebound