NA 1865-1900

Question 1

Who were Native Americans?

Answer 1

• NA tribes occupied the North American continent for thousands of years before white America arrived
• At beginning of 19th century 86 tribes some of which were large enough to be nations had been identified across the US and they continued to live according to their own tribal customs, religion and laws
• However by 1865 a process was underway to break down their traditional culture and lifestyle

Question 2

What was the Great Plains?

Answer 2

• An area that was occupied by the largest population of NA
• As it was abandoned by white Americans as they believed it was an unsuitable place to live a civilised life

Question 3

Why were the tribes nomadic?

Answer 3

• Because they would follow buffalo herds, so they had villages that could be quickly set up and demolished

Question 4

How did the impact of westward expansion impact the lives of NA by 1865?

Answer 4

• The FG was at first happy to let the NA stay in places the white Americans did not want
• This area was called the Great Plains
• it became government policy for the US to attract settlers to populate these wide open spaces in the west
• It radically changed NA lives because the white settlers would push west wards and the NA were removed from their traditional lands
  -The Indian Removal Act 1830 had forced approximately 70,000 NA to migrate to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida as NA were seen as an obstacle to westwards expansion
• These NA were given land in Oklahoma on the plains to create space for the white American Families to settle on
• in 1849, Gold was discovered in California which resulted in the increase in white Americans moving to the west
• This displaced many NA who lived there and those who remained lost their right to fish freely

Question 5

How did the civil war impact NA lives?

Answer 5

• Civil war in 1862 resulted in a number of developments for NA tribal life
• By 1865 several tribes, most notably the Sioux and Cheyenne were hostile to the invasion of the white Americans and the presence of the army on their lands
  -by 1852, the NA had began giving areas of their lands for settlement due to treaties they signed with the government as they realised that they could not resist the strength of the US and its army
• The Sioux signed several treaties with the FG and each time would hand over more and more of their land to open up for settlement , this restricted their freedom to follow the herds of buffalos and therefore potentially cutting of their food supply
• In the treaties the Fg stated that would help any people by ensuring that they were fed this however was not the case as during the civil war when the FG funding was stretched, essential aid did not reach the NA

Question 6

What was the Homestead Act?

Answer 6

• 1862
• Indians agreed to provide 160 acres of land to anyone who agreed to farm it
• it accelerated the settlement of territory
• It was often poor quality farmland and farmers had very little resources to make it

Question 7

What was the sand creek massacre?

Answer 7

• 1864
• there was a breakdown in relations with the NA
• Attack on the Cheyenne tribe
• They were there because they were promised by the US that it was safe
• Mostly women, elderly and children were killed

Question 8

What were reservations?

Answer 8

• Land that was set aside exclusively for NA use, so that they would not be able to practice their culture elsewhere
• process started in 1850

Question 9

Why did reservations become a thing?

Answer 9

• Because it was government policy to Americanise the NA who were seen as savages
• and before this could happen tribal lifestyle had to be broken
• this would be achieved by process of education and by conversion to christianity
• they were no longer allowed to hunt buffalos and were forced to give up polygamy
• ## Native Americans were removed from their ancestral lands, which had been vital for their spiritual, cultural, and economic life

Question 10

What was battle of little bighorn?

Answer 10

• 1876, Custer and his Men were part of a force to round of Sioux and cheyenne indians who left reservations because they were sufferring and were defying the authorities , they defeated them
• The U.S. government’s military retaliation after Little Bighorn was swift and brutal, resulting in the forced surrender of many Native leaders and the eventual destruction of their way of life
• the U.S. government accelerated its efforts to erase Native American cultures through policies of assimilation
  -The Indian Boarding School system, which had been in place before the battle, was expanded after Little Bighorn. Native children were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in schools where they were forbidden to speak their native languages, practice their religions, or maintain their cultural traditions.

Question 11

What was Dawes act and impact on NA rights?

Answer 11

• Assimilating NA was failing miserably using reservations
• was designed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by breaking up tribal lands into individual allotments and dissolving communal ownership, which was central to many Native cultures.
• This was achieved by the Dawes act
• resulted in the loss of millions of acres of tribal land. Land that was not allocated to individual Native Americans was declared “surplus” and sold to non-Native settlers. By 1934, Native Americans had lost approximately 90 million acres
• Native Americans lacked the tools, knowledge, or resources to farm the allotments they were given, especially in areas where the land was poor or unfamiliar. This led to economic dependency on the federal government and local economies dominated by non-Natives.
• Successful with Navajo reservations, which reduced in size