The destruction of the Indigenous peoples' way of life, 1876-90 Flashcards
Give two ECONOMIC reasons for the extermination of the buffalo
1) Increased demand for buffalo skin to be turned into machine belts in factories in the East
2) Cattle ranchers could move into the lands and make more money
Give three POLITICAL reasons for the extermination of the buffalo
1) Would force Indigenous peoples to move to reservations and learn to farm, becoming more dependent on the US government
2) Treaties with the Indigenous peoples that included them leaving reservations to hunt buffalo could be ended
3) Easier to build railroads and achieve Manifest Destiny
How much was a single buffalo hide worth from 1871? What impact did this have on the number of buffalo exterminated?
$1-3
People rushed to kill as many as they could
Between 1872 and 1874, how many buffalo were killed by:
White Americans
Indigenous peoples
White Americans: 4.5 million
Indigenous peoples: 1 million
How were the Indigenous peoples controlled physically on reservations?
US army forts and troops were present in and around the reservations
Other than through military means, how else were Indigenous peoples controlled on reservations?
1) Forced to live on government rations due to poor farming land
2) Indian agents controlled the supply of food, clothing and other essentials
What changed about the distribution of resources on reservations in the 1880s?
Previously, supplies were given to the tribal chiefs who distributed them to their people
The government encouraged families to go directly to the agent, weakening the power of the chiefs
How did the Major Crimes Act (1885) reduce the power of Indigenous chiefs?
Gave the US government the power in cases involving major crimes such as murder, rape or arson
What would Indigenous leaders receive if they co-operated with the authorities on reservations?
Special privileges or extra supplies
Why did some Indigenous peoples join the Indian Police on reservations?
Gave them power and prestige over other Indigenous peoples
What happened to dances and rituals on reservations?
They were banned
Why were warriors left in despair on the reservations?
There was no way to gain status through hunting buffalo or war
How many day schools and boarding schools were set up for Indigenous children off the reservation by 1895?
110 day schools
117 boarding schools
How were Indigenous children treated at boarding schools?
Forbidden from using their own language or Indian names
Taught to reject their own culture and to value Christian American ideals
Strict discipline and severe punishments
What did it mean to “kill the Indian, and save the man”?
Remove all Indigenous culture from a person and make him “civilised”
Why did the US President Grover Cleveland believe that Indigenous peoples were not prospering on the reservations?
The land of the reservations was owned by the whole nation and controlled by the chiefs - it should be broken up so that individuals owned individual plots
What happened to reservation lands in the Dawes Act (1887)?
Massively reduced and broken up into individual plots
What were individual Indigenous peoples given a chance to do as a result of the Dawes Act (1887)?
Leave the reservation and take up their own plots, or sell their plots to white settlers
What happened to the Indigenous peoples who left the reservation to take up their own plots under the Dawes Act?
Struggled to adapt to living and working as individual farmers since the land was so poor
How much land was each Indigenous family allotted under the Dawes Act (1887)?
160 acres
Under the Dawes Act, how much land was given to:
Single Indigenous peoples
Orphans under 18
Single Indigenous peoples: 80 acres
Orphans under 18: 40 acres
What would happen to the reservation land left over in the Dawes Act?
It could be sold to whites
What would happen to the costs of running the reservation system as a result of the Dawes Act?
They would be reduced
How much land had the Indigenous peoples lost by 1890 compared to what they had in 1887?
50% of their lands
What happened to the land kept by Indigenous peoples under the Dawes Act?
Passed it onto their children, diving up the land into smaller plots that were even harder than before
What was announced about the ‘Permanent Indian Frontier’ in 1890?
It was closed - settlement had been so rapid that “there can hardly be said to be a frontier line” anymore
What was the situation on the Sioux reservations by the summer of 1890?
Crops had failed and rations had been cut
What did Wovoka claim to have had a vision of in 1889?
If the Indigenous peoples rejected white ways of life and danced the Ghost Dance, the Great Spirit would bring all the dead Indigenous peoples and buffalo back and carry away the white people
How did Indian agents respond to the Ghost Dance?
They were worried - tried to ban it and brought in troops
What happened when Indian reservation police went to arrest Sitting Bull?
A fight broke out and he was shot dead
Whose band did many of Sitting Bull’s followers join when he was shot dead?
Big Foot (a Lakota Sioux chief)
Who took Big Foot and his followers to a camp at Wounded Knee on 28 December 1890?
The Seventh Cavalry
What did the troops order the Indigenous peoples to do on the morning of 29 December 1890? How did the Indigenous peoples respond?
Give up their weapons
They resisted
How many Sioux were killed in the space of 10 minutes at the Wounded Knee Massacre?
250
How did the white American public react to the massacre at Wounded Knee?
They were relieved that the Ghost Dance was over and were pleased the Seventh Cavalry got their revenge for the Battle of the Little Bighorn
