CH. 13 THE AMERICAN WEST

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