The ‘resolution’ To The Indian Problem Flashcards
When was the peace policy created??
1868
Who created th peace policy
Ulysses grant
What was the peace policy
At the time there were around 300,000 Indians
Parker wanted to supply them with agricultural and industrial pursuits
Sounds like an attempt to impose settlers lifestyles onto them
Religious leaders were hired to impose ‘moral training’ onto them
How did the US government impose these laws onto the native Americans
They would shrink their reservations, leaving them with less food and water
This meant they had to rely on the government to supply them with food and water
When was the battle of Little Bighorn
1876
What events lead to it
George Custer discovering gold in the black hills in 1874
The black hills were in Sioux territory
The government gave the Sioux tribe 2 months to leave after trying to bribe them with mass amounts of money, angering them
They refused to leave
This lead to the battle of rosebud in 1876, led by sitting bull
Describe what happened in the battle of Little Bighorn
It was the second battle of the great Sioux war, also led by sitting bull
Custer tried to lead an attack but got greedy, attacking without telling the other troops round the other side of the mountain
They got stuck in the mountain and ultimately lost (270 troops were killed including Custer)
The brutality of the state the corpses were left in shocked the US government
What were the consequences of the great Sioux war
Although there was an overall small amount of deaths in comparison to other American wars, the Americans forcibly seized 900,000 acres of land from the Sioux around the Rocky Mountains
On aug 15th 1876 2500 troops were sent for the Sioux tribe (Custer only had around 500-600)
Sioux and Cheyenne bands were out on even smaller reservations and crazy horse and sitting bull were imprisoned
When was the wounded knee massacre
1890
What led to the wounded knee massacre
The Lakota Sioux Indians performed a ghost dance to revive the spirits of the dead to help them
Hundred of Indians participated, including sitting bull who was arrested and unfortunately shot dead after resisting his arrest on 15th December 1890
What happened at the wounded knee massacre
2 weeks later, the Indians were being chased by the US army, they performed a ghost dance to try and protect or help themselves but it scared the US army who shot them dead for it
Between 150-250 native Americans were killed and 25 US soldiers
This was the last major conflict between the two, it took place on 29th December 1890
Name some reason why the buffalo population massively dispersed
5 million buffalo were thought to be killed between 1880 and 1883 and from 1840-1855 there was an estimated 13 million buffalo deaths
Their herds were split by railroads and migration patterns destroyed
Their hide was used for clothes
Hunting parties would often shoot them for fun
Some people working for the railroad had a job to kill buffalo
Name some issues with the reservations
Small infertile land, risks starvation
Less buffalo, which the Indians relied on for living
Limited the nomadic lifestyle
Effects of Little Bighorn and wounded knee massacre
There was a lot less tolerance for native Americans
Chiefs were no longer allowed a decision on the treaties they signed and weren’t instead forced into it
Crimes against native Americans also increased
They assigned people to be reservation agents to keep a closer eye on them and had people teach them white settler values
What was the Dawes act 1887
Essentially the homestead act but for plains Indians, they were forced to live on these pieces of land, taking away their tribal culture and values eg staying together and being nomadic
