A True American Tragedy
“The Indian Extermination”
1860 – 1890
Civil War and Post Civil War
“The Great American Desert”
AKA: The Great Plains
Oklahoma
Wyoming
Minnesota
Iowa
Washington
Oregon
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Montana
Nebraska
Kansas
The Western Regions
Western Migration
Reasons:
1. Mining (Gold & Silver)
2. Farming
3. New Life (Foreigners & Domestic)
4. Railroad Construction
5. Military Outposts
6. Absence of Law (Outlaws)
7. Entrepreneurs / Businessmen
8. FREE LAND!
Migration Trails: Oregon (West), Bozeman (North West),
and Santa Fe Trails (South West)
The Donner Party
The Donner Party
What eventually made traveling
and migrating west easier?
Tombstone, Arizona
“Doc” Holiday
Tombstone, Arizona
“Wild” Bill
Deadwood, South Dakota
Calamity Jane
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood Dick
Deadwood, South Dakota
Western Situation = “Lawlessness”
Billy
“The Kid”
Only known photo of him.
Close-up photo
Butch Cassidy
Parker took the name Cassidy from the leader of the first gang
he was part of when the gang leader Mike Cassidy died. He
then took the name Butch after he attempted to go straight with
the law when he became a butcher in Wyoming.
The Sundance Kid
When jailed as a teen in Crook County, Wyoming, he liked
the name of a member in the local government named
Sundance. He quickly adopted the name as his own.
The Cowboys
Leader: Ike Clanton
Photo of the dead Dalton gang after a failed
attempt to rob two banks in their home town.
Why were so many outlaws
attracted to the western part of the
U.S.?
Mexican-American War
(1846 – 1848)
Winner?
The U.S. Civil War
(1861 – 1865)
North v. South
V.
The “Union” (North)
The Confederacy (South)
Where was this war fought?
Winner?
How did this war divide the U.S. Army?
End Date – April 9th, 1865
With malice toward none, with charity for all, ...let us strive on to finish the
work we are in, ...to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting
peace among ourselves and with all nations.
- Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865 (2nd Presidential Inaugural Address)
Abe Lincoln Assassination
April 14th, 1865
Lincoln Assassination
Missed Targets
Andrew Johnson
Vice President
William Seward
Secretary of State
The Other Assassins
Lewis Powell
George Atzerodt
David Herold
The Other Assassins
Mary Surratt
Assassin’s Execution
July 7, 1865
The Other Assassins
John Surratt
The United States of America
Post Civil War
“A country in crisis”
Five American Questions:
Q: How do we re-build our country?
A: Reconstruction and the civilization of the American West.
Q: What is the direction or focus of our country?
A: Wealth and prosperity for all.
Q: What does our country rally behind?
A: Be the #1 world industrial power.
Q: Who is the new enemy?
A: Native Americans
Q: Why this new enemy?
A: The are sitting on a pile of wealth and don’t even know it.
U.S. soldiers return to the west
(1865)
From where?
Western U.S. Soldier’s Duties
• build forts
• drive settlers from Indian reservations
• escort mail
• prevent smuggling
• protect miners, railroad crews, and politicians
• fight Indians
Pay: $13 a month
Why did U.S. soldiers not want to be stationed in the west?
Hard and dangerous work for low pay.
Up to 1/3 third of western U.S. soldiers deserted.
The Obstacle
“The Red Savage”
Western Indian Population = 225,000
What was the impact of horses on Native American cultures?
Famous Indian Killers / Haters
Andrew Jackson
Florida Indian Slaughter
“Mad” Anthony Wayne
Battle of Fallen Timbers
Treaty of Greenville
Teddy Roosevelt
U.S. President
1901 – 1909
Indian Removal Act (1830)
Indian Removal Act (1830)
What: The forcible removal of 100,000 members from
five different tribes in the southern part of the U.S.
When: 1832 – 1838
For their 100,000,000 acres of rich farm land, these
Native Americans received 32,000,000 acres of dry
prairie land in what is now present day Oklahoma.
Worchester v. Georgia (1832)
U.S Supreme Court Ruling: Georgia has no night to remove
the Cherokee Indians.
President Jackson’s Response: Dared the U.S. Supreme
Court Chief Justice John Marshall to enforce his ruling.
Why did the U.S. government want this land so bad?
Bad Treaties
Settlers and soldiers would trick Indians into signing treaties.
Most times the treaty was never signed by the chief.
Negotiators would bother the Indians until someone signed.
Most Indians did not know what they were signing.
Indians would unknowingly break the treaty.
Broken treaties must be enforced by the U.S. Army
=
Indian Wars
Treaty of Ft. Laramie – 1851
Groups involved in this Treaty:
• U.S. Government
• 9 Native American Tribes in the Wyoming Territory – Sioux, Cheyenne,
Arapaho, Crow, Shoshone, Assiniboine, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara
Terms:
1. These tribes will not attack settlers moving west on the Oregon Trail.
2. Railroads and roads may be built in and through these tribe’s land.
3. Military forts may be built in these tribe’s land.
4. In exchange for these privileges, each tribe will be paid $50,000 a year
for the next 50 years.
Congress later cut the amount of yearly payments from 50
years to 10 years, and none of the tribes received their
payments on a consistent regular basis.
The Indian Wars / Plains Wars
“The 2nd Civil War”
(1862 - 1890)
Sioux War (1862)
Chivington Massacre (1864)
Fetterman Massacre (1866)
Little Big Horn (1876)
Apache Wars (1861 – 1886)
Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)
Resistant Tribes
Why did they resist? – This was an assault on the entire Native American way of life.
• They were defending their sacred homelands.
• They were defending their food source.
• They have always been a “hunter-gatherer” culture, now they are being told
to be “agrarian”.
• They have always been a “nomadic” culture, now they are being told to be
a “stationary” culture.
• Tribal clashes on the reservations between different tribes being forced to
live on the reservation together as they never had before.
Sioux War
Date: 1862 – 1864
Where: Minnesota
Little Crow
Sioux Chief
Henry H. Sibley
1st Governor of Minnesota
V.
(Winner)
December 26, 1862 = Largest mass execution in U.S. History (38)
War continued until 1864 and ended in North Dakota
Sand Creek Massacre
Date: Nov. 29, 1864
Black Kettle
Cheyenne Chief
Where: Colorado
John Chivington
U.S. Colonel
V.
Sand Creek Massacre
“Chivington Massacre”
Indian’s Position:
• Tension between white settlers and Native Americans was high in the
Wyoming Territory.
• Native Americans would be protected from attack by the U.S. Army if they
reported to the closest U.S. fort as “non-hostiles”.
• The Cheyenne were on their way to Ft. Lyon (Colorado) and set up camp
camp 40 miles away from Ft. Lyon.
• They flew an American flag and a white flag of peace over their camp in
an effort to show that they were coming in peace.
U.S. Army’s Position: The 3rd Colorado Infantry
Commander: Colonel John Chivington
U.S. Soldiers: 700
Sand Creek Massacre
“Chivington Massacre”
Result:
• 450 Cheyenne were mutilated and killed.
• 2/3 of Native Americans were women, children, and elderly.
• The men (Braves) were away hunting.
Fetterman Massacre
This was part of Red Cloud’s War which is also known as
the Bozeman War.
Date: Dec. 21, 1866
Red Cloud
Sioux Chief
Where: Wyoming
William Fetterman
U.S. Captain
V.
Background of Conflict:
Cause: Gold was discovered in Montana in 1863.
Effect: Miners and settlers created and used what became known as the
Bozeman Trail to get to Montana, which passed through Sioux Land.
Disagreement: Red Cloud wanted the miners to use the Bridger Trail to get to
Montana, which did not pass through Sioux land.
Problem: The Bridger Trail is longer than the Bozeman Trail.
The U.S. military, ignored Red Cloud’s wishes and began building forts along
the Bozeman Trail for miners and settlers to live in and on their way to Montana.
A Promise To Keep: Red Cloud promised resistance to anyone on the
Bozeman Trail who was not Sioux.
Name of Conflict: Red Cloud’s War or the Bozeman War.
What Happened?
Fort Kearny: Military post in Rocky Mountains along the Oregon Trail,
which connected to the Bozeman Trail.
Colonel Henry Carrington – Ft. Kearney Commander
The Wood Train:
• Purpose – To get wood out to other places along the Bozeman Trail in order
to build more forts for miners and settlers passing through.
• Problem – This was attacked by the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians on a
daily basis.
Captain Henry Fetterman / 92 U.S. Troops:
• He bragged he could destroy the entire Sioux Empire with 80 men.
• He was ordered to protect the wood train up to Lodge Trail Ridge, because
Carrington could not guarantee support from Ft. Kearny beyond this point.
• The wood train was attacked by a small group of Indians.
• Cpt. Fetterman pursued the Indians past Lodge Trail Ridge.
• He was ambushed by 2,000 Sioux Indians under the command of Chief
Red Cloud
• 92 U.S. soldiers were killed in 20 minutes.
• Cpt. Fetterman took his own life to avoid being captured alive.
“Native American Heroes”
Chief Red Cloud
Sioux Warriors
Treaty of Ft. Laramie – 1868
Groups involved in this Treaty:
• U.S. Government
• Sioux
Terms:
1. Red Cloud’s War or Bozeman War is over.
2. The Black Hills of South Dakota is given to the Sioux.
3. Parts of Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota are guaranteed as
hunting grounds for the Sioux.
This treaty was broken by the U.S. Government in 1877
after gold was discovered in the Black Hills.
Where: South Dakota
Crazy Horse Monument
Where: Black Hills, SD
What: Economic Depression
Time Period: 1873 –1877
Result: 10,000 businesses fail
Causes:
1. Bankrupt Gov. and businesses from the Civil War
2. To much money spent on railroad construction.
3. Europe was also experiencing a Depression, and American
businesses are heavily dependent on the European market
to buy and sell American made goods.
4. The Gold Standard.
Little Big Horn
“Custer’s Last Stand”
Date: 1876
Where: Montana (Little Big Horn River)
&
Sitting Bull
Sioux Chief
V.
Krazy Horse
Sioux Chief
George Custer
U.S. General
7th Cavalry
What Happened?
Why Here: Custer was sent to investigate the presence of gold in the
Black Hills (South Dakota) which is sacred land to the Sioux Indians,
and was given to them by the Treaty of Ft. Laramie (1868)
Indian Lure:
• General Custer spotted forty Indians outside of a Sioux Indian encampment
• Pursued Indians to encampment over rough terrain
Plan:
• Divided 7th Cavalry into three Battalions and attacked the encampment
• Custer’s Battalion, Reno’s Battalion, and Benteen’s Battalion
Indian Surprise = Indians outnumbered 7th Cavalry 3 to 1
June 25, 1876
Battle Results : Little Big Horn
7th Cavalry Casualties
261
Custer and his battalion
were all killed. Reno
and Benteen managed to
escape while sustaining
casualties to their own
battalions.
Sitting Bull (1890) and Krazy Horse (1877) were captured and killed in
the future.
The Apache Wars
Date: 1861 – 1886
Where: Arizona, New Mexico, & Mexico
Cochise (1815 – 1874)
1st Apache War (1861 – 1874)
Geronimo (1834 – 1909)
2nd Apache War (1874 – 1886)
Brigadier Gen. George Crook
Apache Name: Nantan Lupan
English Translation: Grey Wolf Chief
General Nelson Miles
Lt. Charles Gatewood
Lt. Gatewood with U.S. Army
Apache scouts.
Lt. Charles Gatewood
Geronimo
“The Apache Warrior”
Geronimo’s Tribe: Chiricahua Apache
He had deep hatred towards any people
who were not Apache, because his wife
and children were killed by Mexicans.
Geronimo and an Apache war party raided
and killed Mexicans and white settlers in
Mexico, New Mexico, and Arizona.
In the 1880’s the U.S. Army launched the
“Geronimo Campaign” in an effort to
capture Geronimo and his band of outlaw
Chiricahua Apaches.
(1834 - 1909)
Ft. Marion
St. Augustine, FL
Geronimo’s Imprisonment
When: 1886 – 1909
Where: Ft. Marion, FL and Ft. Sill, OK
On way to Ft. Marion, FL
P.O.W. Geronimo
The Ghost Dance
Creator - Wovoka (Indian Shaman)
• Called himself the “Messiah”
• Indians traveled to hear his teachings
Year Created - 1890
Rationale - Praying for a return to the “Glory Days”
• Prophesized that the dead would soon join the
living in a world in which the Indians could live
in the old way surrounded by a plentiful game.
• A tidal wave of new soil would cover the earth,
bury the whites, and restore the prairie.
Sitting Bull’s Death
Date: Dec. 15, 1890
Little Big Horn victory. (1876)
Escape to Canada. (1877)
Surrender at Ft. Buford, ND
and to the Native American
reservation. (1881)
Arrest and shooting. (1890)
Wounded Knee Massacre
Date: Dec. 29, 1890
Where: South Dakota
Sitting Bull had recently been killed while
being arrested. Big Foot was next on the
U.S. Army to be captured and placed on
trial. The U.S. Army 7th Cavalry was
stationed above the Sioux camp at
Wounded Knee awaiting orders to go in
and capture Big Foot.
Big Foot
Sioux Chief
While mourning of the death of Sitting Bull
and the change in the Sioux lifestyle, the
Sioux began performing the ceremonial
Ghost Dance. The observing U.S. Army
officers of the 7th Cavalry felt that the
dance was an uprising and moved in
to search the encampment and disarm the
inhabitants of the camp.
Tragedy at Wounded Knee
The Search
• The 7th Cavalry searched the encampment and found many guns.
• A scuffle occurred when an Army Officer tried to take a gun from a
deaf Indian.
• From an elevated position a Hotchkiss machine gun opened fire on the
Sioux (Lakota) encampment.
Deaths
• 200 unarmed Sioux (Lakota) Indians were killed
• 25 U.S. troops were killed by friendly fire
Importance
• This conflict ended the Ghost Dance
Movement and the Indian Wars.
December 29, 1890
The Buffalo Slaughter
Great Plains Buffalo Population:
1865 = 15,000,000
1890 = 1,000
Reasons:
1. Food
2. Hunting Game
3. Fur
William Cody
“Buffalo Bill”
Slaughtered buffaloes
and sold the meat to
railroad construction
workers and the U.S
Army.
Responsible for killing
over 4,200 buffalo.
Nickname: Engaged in a buffalo killing contest with William Comstock.
Sitting Bull and Buffalo Bill
Impact on Indians
Buffalo = vital component of Native American lifestyle
Native American uses of the buffalo:
Bones = Arrow Heads
Meat = Food
Fur = Clothing and Shelter
Buffalo Chips = Fuel
Tails = Fly Swatter
Gal Stones = Paint
Buffalo Fetus = Delicacy
Smoked Fur = Moccasins
Buffalo were seen as biblical in the eyes of Native Americans.
“Kill a buffalo and you kill an Indian”
Buffalo Population Decline = contributed to the “Indian Extinction”
Chief Seattle
Letter to President Franklin Pierce (14th Pres.
of the United States) – 1854:
“Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will
happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered?
The wild horses all tamed? What will happen
when the secret corners of the forest are heavy
with the scent of many men and the view of ripe
hills are blotted with talking wires? Where will
the thicket be? GONE! Where will the eagle
be? GONE! Where will the buffalo be? GONE!
And what is to say of the swift pony and then
the hunt? The end of living and the beginning
of survival.”
Tribe: Suquamish and Duwamish
Tribe Homeland: Washington
- Chief Seattle (1854)
Buffalo Chips
The White Man’s Victory
Winchester Rifle
Colt Revolver
With these weapons, Indians and buffalo were easily killed.
Senator Henry Dawes
Dawes’ Importance:
He is responsible for the creation
and passage of the General
Allotment Act of 1887, which
is also known as the Dawes
Severalty Act, or the even
shorter name the Dawes Act.
Facts about the Dawes Act:
• Put into affect – 1887
• Amended (changed) –1891 and 1906
State: Massachusetts
Time in Office: 1875-1893
• Ended – 1934
The Dawes Act (1887)
“The Americanization of the Indians”
The Law In Theory
1. All Indian tribes are abolished.
2. Established Indian Reservations - each male head of
an Indian family could claim 160 acres of reservation
land as a farm.
3. Indians would be taught farming techniques.
4. Cooperating Indians could become American citizens.
The Dawes Act (1887)
“The death of the Indians”
The Law in Practice
• Indians were never given farm equipment or training.
• Much of reservation land was bought by land speculators.
• Reservation Conditions: disease, malnutrition, & poor sanitation.
• School Teachers taught Indians that there way of life was full of
“Idleness, Superstition and Barbarism.”
Nothing was done to improve the Indian’s situation until
the Indian New Deal (1934) during the Great Depression.
Why was the Dawes Act a failure?
1. Corruption (the misuse of money) within the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (BIA) hurt the success of the Dawes Act
because it was not properly funded by Washington D.C.
2. Native Americans were never taught proper farming
techniques.
3. Reservation land was dry and arid, making it difficult to
successfully farm.
An Americanized Indian
Carlisle Indian School
Where: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle Indian School Band
1968 – Present
Slogan: “Remember Wounded Knee”
1970 – Seized the Mayflower II ship on Thanksgiving Day which was
the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrims' landing at Plymouth Rock.
1970 – Seized abandoned property at the Naval Air Station near
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1971 – Took over the Winter Dam in Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin.
1971 – Took over Mount Rushmore.
1972 – Trail of Broken Treaties which was a cross-country protest by
American Indian and First Nations organizations intended to bring
attention to American Indian issues such as treaty rights, living
standards, and inadequate housing.
1972 – Took over the Bureau of Idian Affairs Headquarters in
Washington D.C. as part of the Trail of Broken Treaties. 24 people
were arrested during this conflict.
1973 – Took over the Custer County Courthouse in Montana.
1973 – Took over the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota which
is the reservation where the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 took
place. A stand-off between AIM members and the FBI lasted for 71
days. 2 FBI agents and 1 Native American died as a result of the
“shootout” during this conflict.
These events were part of the Civil Rights Movement.
Native American
Occupation of Alcatraz
Where: San Francisco Bay
What: Abandoned U.S. prison
Existence: Abandoned 1964
1969 - 1971
Where: South Dakota
Because this land is sacred to the Sioux Indians, they refused
to sell this land to the American government.
The U.S. government has tried to negotiate the sale of this land
with the Sioux numerous times, but the Sioux refused to give up
their rights to their sacred homeland.
However, this land was taken with military force by the U.S.
government and mined for gold in violation of the Treaty of
Ft. Laramie (1868) which ended Red Cloud’s War.
To this day the Sioux still claim the rights to this land and refuse
to accept any money for it.
Unclaimed Sioux Money For Land = $600,000,000
“The systematic destruction of a specific group or race.”
Making a Comparison
The Holocaust
• Jewish Concentration Camps
• The German Aryan Race
• Genocide and Pogroms of Jews
• Gassing and Burning of Jews
• Using Jews to police themselves in
the Jewish ghettos
Making a Comparison
• Indian Reservations
• Americanized Indians
• Massacre of Indians
• Mass Hangings of Indians
• Having Indians police themselves
on the reservations
• Using Indians to catch Indians
The End