Timeline for the American Indian
1820’s -1840’s : The Federal Government forced
NA from eastern lands to lands west of the
Mississippi River “The Great American Desert”
By 1850 – 250,000 NA lived in the West
1850’s – 1860’s: Policy changed due to attractive
aspects in the West
A Clash of Cultures:
The Native American vs. The White Settler
The main reason for conflict between the two
groups lay in the fact that each had different
cultures, and different views of mans place in the
world.
Lets examine the cultural, economic, and religious
differences of the two societies.
Native Americans
Whites
Polytheistic
Monotheistic
Nomadic
Sedentary
Communal Property
Private Property
The basic conflict centered on property rights.
The white man used land as his own, and did
not share it.
The plains Indians needed to move around to
survive, the white mans private property kept
them from doing this.
The white man kept coming in huge numbers
due to the large amount of immigration to the
U.S. during this period
DMB – “Don’t Drink the Water”
Explain Dave Matthew’s message within the lyrics
relating to the relationship between the white
settler and NA
2 Main Issues led to Conflict between the
NA and White Settler
1.Establishment of Reservations (1860’s)
2. The Buffalo Slaughter
× Buffalo was the basis of life for NA
(food, shelter, clothing)
1865 – 15 million buffalo
1890 – 1,000 buffalo remaining
Main Reason for the Buffalo Slaughter:
×Hunting
×To feed railroad workers
×For Sport
ASSIGNMENT: There were many Indian Wars
during the white man’s expansion westward –
Briefly describe the significance of the
following battles using pages 162-167 – Be
sure to highlight key people:
Sitting Bull & Chief Joseph
Sand Creek Massacre
Nez Perces
Battle at Little Big Horn
Battle of Wounded Knee
Continued Attempts to transform the NA, by the
U.S. Government, following the Indian Wars
Dawes General Allotment Act
× Divided up reservation land & gave each NA family 160
acres
Assimilation / Americanization
×Set up NA schools that taught English language, forced
to wear proper clothing, changed names to be more
America
×Helen Hunt Jackson