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The federal government had passed an act that designated the entire Great Plains as one enormous reservation, or land set aside for Native American tribes
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The Government changed its policy and created treaties that defined specific boundaries for each tribe. Most Native Americans spurned the government treaties and continued to hunt on their traditional lands,clashing with settlers and miners- with tragic results
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One of the most tragic events. General S.R. Curtis, U.S. Army commander in the west, sent a telegram to militia colonel John Chivington that read " I want to peace till the Indians suffer more." In response Chivington and his troops descended on the Cheyenne and Arapaho-about 200 warriors and 500 women and children- camped at Sand Creek. The attack at dawn killed over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children
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The Bozeman Trail went directly through Sioux hunting grounds in the Bighorn Mountains. the Sioux chef, had unsuccessfully appealed to the government to end white settlement on the trail. The warrior Crazy Horse ambushed Captain William J. Fetterman and his company at Lodge Trail Ridge. Over 80 soldiers were killed.
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Skirmishes continued until the government agreed to close the Bozeman Trail. In return, the Treaty of Fort Laramie, in which the Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River, was forced on the leaders of the Sioux.
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When Colonel George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills had gold "from the grass roots down." a gold rush was on. Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, another Sioux chef, vainly aplealed again to the government officials
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War broke out yet again as the Kiowa and Camanche engaged is six years of raiding that finally led to the Red River War. The U.S. Army responded by herding the people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire on all others. a Union Army veteran, gave orders "to destroy their villages and ponies, to kill and hang all warriors, and to bring back all women and children." With such tactics, the army crushed resistance on the northern plains.
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The sioux and cheyenne held a sun dance, during which Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. Once they reached the Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready for them. Led by Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Gall, the warriors with raised spears and rifles outflanked and crushed Custer's troops. Within Custer and all his men of the seventh cavalry were dead.
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congress passed the Dawes Act aiming to "Americanize" the Native Americans. the act broke up the reservations and gave some of the reservation land to individual Native Americans- 160 acres to each head of household and 80 acres to each unmarried adult.
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The seventh cavalry- Custer's old regiment- rounded up about 350 starving and freezing Sioux and took them to a camp as Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. The next day the soldiers demanded that the Native Americans give up all their weapons. a shot was fired; side unknown. The soldiers opened with deadly cannon. with in minutes the 7th Cavalry slaughtered 300 mostly unarmed Native Americans, including children.
