5.12-5.13 Indian Wars and changing of lives

• What order do the Indian Wars go?

  • Little Crow's War

  • Red Cloud War

  • Great Sioux War
• What were the causes of the Little Crow's War?

  • Little Crow (Dakota cheif) signed reservation agreement in 1861 in return for supplies from US government

  • in 1862 Dakota were starving, reservation agent refused to open emergency stores
• What were the events of the Little Crow's War?

  • Little Crow led warriors and attacked white farms and settlement in Minnesota

  -> killed around 500 settlement

  • Minnesota militia (soldiers) attacked Dakota in area - whether they participated in attack or not

  -> men, woman and children sent to huge prison camps
• What was the aftermath of the Little Crow's War?

  • 38 Dakota were publicly hanged, hundreds more sent to prison - some white settlers were angry meaning many Sioux had been spared

  • remaining Sioux forced to move to Dakota - many died of starvation and disease
• What were the causes of the Red Cloud?

  • in 1851 Lakota signed treaty with US governement to promise to respect Lakota lands

  • in 1852 gold was discovered on Lakota reservation - miners went along Bozeman trail (mining trail)

  • Red Cloud and Lakota led attacks against miners

  • US governement set uo army forts on Lakota land
• What were the events of the Red Cloud?

  • between 1866-68, Red Cloud and his warriors fought US army

  • government admitted defeat
• What was the aftermath of the Red Cloud?

  • 1868 - government signed another treaty at Fort Laramie

  -> recognised more land as Lakota territory and promised no settlers would enter lands withot permission

  • humiliating for government - argued tougher policies needed
• What were the causes of the Great Sioux War?

  • in 1874, gold found in Black Hills of Dakota

  • governement tried to buy hills - Sioux refused, scared to them

  • US ordered all Sioux to come back from hunting grounds by 1876

  • band led by Sitting Bull (powerful chief) had not returned army sent out to bring them back
• What were the events of the Great Sioux War?

  • in 1876 General found Sitting Bull's camp on the Bighorn

  • General and his 210 cavalrymen attacked 6000 people camp

  • took only a few minutes for Sitting Bull's army to win
• What was the aftermath of the Great Sioux War?

  • US army chased him and other Sioux

  • Sioux bands rounded up by army - even if they did not fight

  • rations were stopped to reservations

  • Sioux forced to sell land and moved to smaller reservation
• What happened to Indians after the Great Sioux War?

  • forced onto US government reservations

  • split up nations to prevent them fighting back

  • goverment did not put enough money into reservations

  -> supplies, medical aid and food rations were often low

  • railroad brought many hunters to Plains and killed Buffalo

  -> by 1883 over 3 million killed

  • arrival of homesteaders, ranches and big business led to starvation of Indians
• What were the attempts to destroy Plains culture on the reservations?

  • people spilt up and sent to different reservation

  • encouraged to live in houses rather than tipis

  • forced to convert to christianity

  • children made to choose english names

  • children who did not speak english at school were beaten

  • native children educated in christian boarding schools

  • in history lessons taught natives killed innocent white settlers
• What group was set up to protect the rights of Native Americans?


  Friends of the Indian
• What problems did the 'Friends of the Indians' try to solve and how?

  • corrupt government agents running reservation - reported corrupt agents and monitored how money was spent

  • believed native children could be part of US without formal education - set up school to help native children learn english to access job in white America

  • natives not full citizens of USA so had no rights ot ability to vote - persuaded government to pass Dawes act in 1887

  -> meant natives would have 160 acres and citizenship if they gave up tribal lands
• What did Ghost Dancers believe dancing would do?

  white settlers woul be swept of land and buffalo would return