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End of Buffalo
White migrants enterd plains in the Southwest and fought Indians for access and controll over natural resources. White men believed Buffalo were a bother that got in their way of settling, for example buffalo grazed on grass that the cattle needed for noruishment. The U.S army refused to enforce treaties that reserved hunting grounds of buffalo, in response railroads sponsored buffalo hunts, eastern sportsmen shot at buffalo from slow-moving trains. -
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United States/Native Interactions
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Trail of Tears
During the winter of 1831 and 1832, Indian tribes began a forced journey from Mississippi and Alabama to the West. The Choctaw tribe was the first to make the dreadful journey,a year later the Chickasaws tribe followed.Forced removal had an impact on indian tribes, they lost traditions and lacked connection with the land. One quarter of the 20 thousand Cherokees died of disease and exhaustion on the Trail of Tears. The Indians that were forced West were unable to grow crops off the land. -
Continue End of Buffalo
During the dry years of 1840 and 1850's Indians had to set up camps near buffalo river basins.Indians had to compete with buffalo for space and water. Buffalo were pushed out of nourishing grazing plains causing starvation. Another factor was animal disease such as anthrax and brucellosis brought by white-owned live stock. During the late 1800's a few hundred of the 25 million buffalo remained on the plains. -
Mexican Cession
After the Mexican war the United States obtained the land that is now known as California, Nevanda, Utah, Arizona and parts of New Mexico and Colorado.The significance of the Untied States gaining this land promoted movement to the West which took away land from the Native Americans. -
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1838 congress established the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers to explore the west for advancement of widespread settlement. During the 1850's is when the Transcontinental Railroad was planned. The Corps of Topographical Engineers most significant contribution was in 1850 with its discovery of possible routes for the railroad. The railroad declined territory controll of the Indians. The railroads were built through Indian lands which caused Indians to be relocated to reservations. -
Reservation Policy
During the 1800's the federal government tried to persuade western Indians onto reservations, in thoughts that the indians would become more "civilized". Reservation land was the least desirable land to whites and previously belonged to Indian tribes. The government promised protection, food, clothing and the basic needs to live on the reservations. In the West the whites necessities and power overtook the Indians, the needs and economic power became unequal. -
Market Economy during the Reservation Policy
Reservatioin policy helped make way for the market economy,trade had always been beneficial for both Inians ans whites. Indians gave furs,jewelry and information about other tribes, whites gave clothing,guns and horses. During the Reservation policy, whites began to dictate and controll what the Indians would trade. -
The Chisholm Trail
Named after Jesse Chisholm who had built multiple trading posts across what is now Oklahoma, was the Chisholm Trail established in 1853. The trail was used to drive cattle from Texas to Kansas and back. Ranchers using the Chisholm Trail started from either the Rio Grande or San Antonio, Texas. This route created a very effective and efficient way to drive cattle. -
First Sioux War
The First Sioux War was fought between 1854 and 1856. -
Joseph McCoy
Joseph McCoy was born in Sangamon county, Illinois. He was a 19th century cowboy. He called himself "The Real McCoy", helping Texas ranchers if they brought their Texas longhorns from Texas to Kansas, McCoy would have the cattle shipped on railroads to other markets. -
Abilene Kansas
Railroads were interested in expanding their operations and McCoy saw the expansion as a bussiness opportunity. McCoy built a hotel, stockyard,office and a bank along the Union Pacific. The village became known as Abilene Kansas,it was one of the first cow towns. The plan was for cattle to be driven from Texas to Abilene then sent out on trains to larger cities. -
Comstock Lode
The discovery of the Comstock Lode was conflicted, it was said to be discovered in 1857 by Ethan Allen Grosh and Hosea Ballou Grosh which were sons of a Pennsylvania Clergyman. The Comstock Lode was made public in 1859 under Virgina City, Nevada on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson. Miners rushed to the area to make their claims on mining property. It was the first major U.S. discovery of silver, it was also the main influence of people migrating to the West. Indians began to loose their land. -
Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acers of free land to anyone who agreed to live on the land for 5 years. The people who were granted the land included white men,immigrants,former slaves,single women and farmers without property. It was signed into law by president Abraham Lincoln on May 20 1862. It seized Native American lands that the tribal leaders ceded to the government. -
Second Sioux War-Dakota War of 1862
The Santee Sioux of Western Minnesota rebelled on August 17 1862 due to the lack of distrubition of food supply by the Agency traders. The attack on Fort Ridgely caused major loses in the U.S. army,but on September 23 the Indians were finally defeated in the Battle of Wood Lake. -
Thrid Sioux war-Colorado War
A series of wars that began in 1863 that started with the Sand Creek Massacre. -
Sand Creek Massacre
Black Kettle a chief of 800 Cheyenne reported to Fort Lyon to make peace with white men. The tribe camped out near Sandy Creek, while the tribe was there the government promised peace. The warriors left the camp to hunt buffalo leaving 60 older men,children and women at the village. Black Kettle placed an american flag over his tent to show peace, being friendly and to prevent attacks by the U.S. soldiers. U.S. army Colonel John Chivington lead his 700 en to Black Kettle's campsite. -
Continue of Sand Creek Massacre
The night of November 28 the soilders drank heavily to celebrate the attack to come the next morning. On the morning of November 29 Chivington marched his men to the village, two officers told soldiers to hold their fire but Chivington ordered his men to attack. The village was under attack and the American flag was replaced with a white flag of surrender. Approximately 133 Indians were killed during the Sand Creek Massacre. -
Fourth Sioux War-Powder River War
In 1865 General Grenville M. Dodge ordered an expedition to find the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. On August 29 1865, 400 white men came across 500 Arapahos which they attacked and captured their village. -
Fith Sioux War-Red Cloud's War
The United States government wanted to create a new treaty to gain access of the Powder River Country that the Indians already legally owned.The Lakota Indians did not want to give up their land, as a result the U.S. army attacked the Lakota Indians for their land. -
Texas Fever
During the 1860's cattle ranchers in Texas had problems getting their longhorn cattle to the market due to the fact that people living in Kansas did not want the cattle crossing their land because their was a chance the cattle had ticks which resulted in the disease called Texas Fever. Texas fever would kill off live stock of ranch owners. In 1868 a group of cattle arrived in Kansas from Texas, about 40,000 of them had the Texas Fever. The result was Kansas homeowners hatred against the cattle. -
Ghost Dance Movement
Inspired by a Paiute prophet named Wovoka, the ghost dance was circular movements that continued untill the dancers reached a trance-like state and had visions of their dead ancestors.Tribes, such as the Lakotas relied on the religion of the Ghost Dance to preserve their native heriatige. The Ghost Dance was a way of ritual and meditation.The Ghost Dance religion began to spread, the government was alarmed that Indians were renewing their traditions and culture. -
Barbed Wire
Tension between farmers emerged when farmers accused cattle raisers of letting their cattle trespass on the farmers land. Farmers did not have enough money to fence their property so the solution was barbed wire, invented in 1873 by Joseph F. Glidden. The invention of wires was held in place by sharp spurs twisted around them. Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company in Worcester,Massachusetts mass-produced the the barbed wire. 80.5 million pounds were sold in 1880.Cheap way to protect property. -
Sixth Sioux War- Great Sioux War
The Great Sioux War was a series of conflicts from 1876 to 1877 concerning the lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne tribes. -
Little Big Horn
Little Big Horn was a battle fought near Little Big Horn River in southern Montana. 2,500 Lakotas and Cheyennes Indians fought under the lead of Chiefs; Rain-in-the-Face, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. The Indians killed off 256 government troops led by Colonel George A. Custer. Shortages of supplies and constant pursuit by the U.S. army tired the Indians. Native Americans were not conquered in battle but they were starving and exhausted by the end -
Carlisle School
The Carlisle Indian School was founded in Pennsylvania during 1879, it was established by government agents, reformers and educators. Required by the Dawes Act, the government had to distribute land to individual Indian familes. The government had an idea that with individual land the indians would become more like Americans and american education would create productive citizens. -
Continue of the Carlisle School
The american government believed the young Indian children would abandon their cultral habits if they were educated at american boarding schools,which were outside the reservations. The goal of the school was to "weaken and destroy Indians tribal relations and individualize them..." The Carlisle School was a flagship school of governments Indian school system. The school taught the boys farming and carpentry, while the girls learned sewing, cleaning and cooking. -
A Century of Dishonor
A Century of Dishonor was a book written by Helen Hunt Jackson with the idea to change how the government felt about the Native Americans. Jackson's book included stories of Native Americans and how poorly they were treated. Her book showed everyone the injustices that were given to the Natives.Helen Hunt Jackson sent copies of her book to every member in Congress in hopes to gain respect for Indians.The result of the book was organized groups that supported Native American freedom and rights. -
Consequences of the Reservation Policy
The Supreme Court made decisions in 1884 and 1886 making Indians wards and not allowing them to become U.S. citizens. This was the opposite result of how the Reservation Policy started, it started because the whites wanted Indians to become more civilized. The Indians were unprotected by the 14th and 15th amendments. The government ignored native culture and histroy, government mixed tribes in the Reservations causing conflict between tribes. Reservations tore apart the Indian culture. -
Dawes Severalty Act
Reformers wanted Congress to abolish dealing with Native Americans as separate tribes. The plan was to break up the organized tribes, many americans felt that tribes kept the Natives from becoming civilized. The Dawes Act divided the tribal lands into sections of 160 acres or less depending on family size. If Native Americans stayed on the land for 25 years they were granted U.S. citizenship. 47 million acres of land was distributed under the Dawes Act, but it proved to be a failure. -
Results of the Ghost Dance Movement
The government began to see the Dancers as anti-Christian and began to arrest the Ghost Dancers. In 1890 the government sent George Armstrong Custer's soilders to stop the Lakotas traveling toward Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The Lakotas were starving and tierd from the journey and were seeking shelter, the soliders assumed the Indians were armed and ready to attack. At a creek named Wounded Knee, troops massacred 300 men,women and children. -
Wounded Knee Massacre
This was the last battle of the Natives when the American U.S army went to stop the Ghost Dance Movement. The U.S. saw the movement as a rebelion against the United States army. The army assumed the Indians were ready for battle but unexpectedly the natives were caught off guard. The army shot down 300 men, women and children during the Wounded Knee Massacre.
