The Battle of Little Big Horn

• The Battle of the Little Bighorn was a turning point in how the Indians were treated
• Before the battle, Indians were partly tolerated but gradually moved on to reservations
• After the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Indians were given a choice to assimilate or die
• In the 1868 Second Fort Laramie Treaty, the Black Hills were guaranteed to the Sioux as a sacred site forever
• In 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, leading to the Fort Laramie Treaty being disregarded
• The Sioux rejected U.S. government offers to buy the Black Hills for 6 million and instead began raiding the gold prospectors
• From December 1875, any Sioux not returning to reservations would be attacked by the U.S. army
• In June 1876, the Sioux, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, met the U.S. army at the Battle of Little Bighorn
• The Little Bighorn River is a tributary of the larger Bighorn River
• The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25th, 1876, resulted in the slaughter of Custer and his men by the Indians
• Custer's 600 men were outnumbered by 2,000 Indians
• Custer's arrogance and overconfidence led to the shambles for the U.S. army at the Battle of Little Bighorn
• Custer split his force into three in a doomed attempt to surround the Sioux
• Not everyone in the Seventh Cavalry was completely wiped out, only those under Custer's command
• Crazy Horse led the attack on Custer's men
• Sitting Bull led the women and children to safety during the battle
• Sitting Bull was not in a position to take part in the fighting as he had taken part in a Sundance before
• Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull led the Indians well with Crazy Horse leading the attack on Custer's men


  Sitting Bull led the women and children to safety
• Sitting Bull was not in a position to take part in the fighting as he had taken part in a Sundance before, which inflicted pain and injuries on him
• After the battle, the US government decided that the Plains Indians must stay on reservations
• Within five years, virtually all Indians were on reservations and reliant on the US government for food and shelter
• Previous treaties could now be ignored at will by the US government
• The US government withheld food until the Indians complied with their demands
• The US army increased the number of soldiers guarding the Indians, and all Indian warriors had to surrender their weapons
• In 1877, Crazy Horse surrendered and was murdered while under arrest
• The Battle of the Little Bighorn led to Custer's defeat and death, with devastating effects on the Indians in the longer term
• President Grant's peace policy was abandoned after the Battle of the Little Bighorn
• US newspaper of the time: 'It is time to quit this Sunday school policy and let Sheridan exterminate every Indian who will not remain on the reservations. The best use to make of an Indian who will not stay on a reservation is to kill him. It is time that the dawdling, aimless, foolishly sentimental peace policy was abandoned.'
• The Plains Indians' way of life was ultimately destroyed