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Government Restricts Native Americans
Federal governments had passed an act that designated the entire Great Plains as one enormous reservation, or land set aside for Native American tribes. -
Government changed policy and creats treaties
Government changed its policy and created treaties that defined specific boundaries for each tribe. Most Native Americans rejected the government treaties and continued to hunt on their traditional lands. -
Massacre at Sand Creek
Cheyenne tribe thought they were under the protection of the U.S. Government, went back Colorado's Sand Creek Reserve for the winter. General Curtis sent a telegram to Militia colonel John Chivington saying, "I want no peace till the Indians suffer more." Chivington and his troops went to where the Cheyenne and Arapaho were. At dawn they killed over 150 inhabitants. Mostly women and children. -
Death on the Bazeman Trail
Ran directly through Sioux hunting grounds in the Bighorn Mountains. Warrior Crazy Horse ambushed Captain William J. Fetterman and his company at Lodge Trail Ridge. Over 80 soldiers were killed. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
Skirmishes continued until the government agreed to close the Bozeman Trail. In return for the treaty, when the Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River, was forced on the leaders of the Sioux. Sitting Bull, leaver of the Hunkpapa Sioux, never signed it. Only provided a temparary halt to warfare. late 1868 war broke out again. -
Gold Rush
Miners began searching the Black Hills for gold. Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho protested the encroachment on their lands to no avail. Colonel George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills had gold "from the grass roots down". -
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Red River War
War broke out again when Kiowa and Comanche engaged in six years of raiding that finally led to the war. U.S. Army responded by herding people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire on all others. General Sheridan gave orders "to destroy their villages and ponies, to kill and hang all warriors, and to bring back all women and children." -
Custer's Last Stand
Sioux and Cheyenne held a sun dance, during this Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. Colonel Custer and his troops reached the Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready for them. Crazy Horse, Gall and Sitting bull led them. An hour later Custer and all his men were dead. -
Dawes Act
Congress passed this 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. Government would sell the rest to settlers. -
Wounded Knee
The Seventh Cavalry rounded up about 350 starving and freezing Sioux and took them to a camp at Wounded Knee. Next day soldiers demanded that the Native Americans give up all their weapons. An unclear shot was fired, soldiers opened fire with deadly cannon. In minutes soldiers killed as many as 300 mostly unarmed Native Americans, some children. Left corpses to freeze on the ground.
