Reconstruction Era Native Americans (1865-1877)

Question 1

The Importance of the Buffalo to
Native Americans

Answer 1

• Meat was consumed
• Muscles: used for glue, sinew, bows, thread, arrows, cinches
• Buckskin: used for tops, cradles, shirts, leggings, belts, dresses, dolls
• Tails: decorations, whip
• Fat: soap, cooking oil
• Hooves/feet: rattles and glue
• Horns: cups, fire carrier, spoons, headdresses
• Stomach: buckets, cups, dishes

Question 2

The Sand Massacre Creek
(1864)

Answer 2

• There was no fighting in West Missisippi during the Civil War, regular soldiers were withdrawn from the Plains to fight in the East
• They were replaced by volunteers who were untrained and ill-disciplined
• Led to number of brutal atrocities, with the most notorious one at Sand Creek, November 1864
• 700 troops of cavalry, led by Colonel John Chivington, attacked an undefended camp of the Cheyenne Tribe, led by Chief Black Kettle
• Killed and mutilated elderly men, women and children

Question 3

The Battle of Little Bighorn
(1876)

Answer 3

• George Custer and his men were part of an expeditionary force
• They were sent to round up Sioux and Cheyenne tribes who had left the Great Sioux Reservation lands
• Were defying authority by refusing to return
• Without waiting for the rest of the force to arrive, Custer divided his men into 3 units
• Attempted to encircle the encampment of the Native Americans
• His unit of 200 came under attack and were quickly overwhelmed by superior numbers
• All were killed

Question 4

The Great Sioux War
(1876)

Answer 4

• Broke out after the Second Gold Rush
• Prospectors and settlers pored into the Native American territory
• Initially, US government tried to keep them out but there were too many of them
• Government tried to do a deal with the Native Americans by offering $6 million but it failed
• US gov believed that the Natives were being unreasonable and hardened their attitudes
• Demanded that all Natives should go to their reservations
• Any who did not respond by 31st January 1876 would be treated as hostile
• Many did not hear about this or chose to ignore it
• Due to political pressure by white American majority, decision was taken to remove Native Americans from the Black Hills
• After setbacks, a large and well-equipped US army wiped out the Sioux Native Americans to end the war

Question 5

US Reservations Policy

Answer 5

• Native Americans presented a real problem towards the US government
• Their independence gave them a degree of self-determination which was deemed unacceptable
• A significant number were hostile and dangerous
• Government used the reservation policy to end their nomadic traditional lifestyle
• Policy involved locating Native Americans on US-controlled reservations
• Government ‘Americanised’ Natives who were considered ‘savages’
• Restricted from hunting buffalos, destroying tribal life
• Taught English language, forced Christianity, worked as farmers
• Reservation life=harsh
• Enough land wasn’t allocated to train all these farmers
• The food supplied by gov wasn’t enough, still starved
• Total dependence on white Americans for work, food + clothes proved humiliating
• Some Native American agents were corrupt and used supplies for themselves instead