Native American Stuggles 1865-Present.pdf

Mr. Leone - U.S. History
Native American
Struggles
I Can . . .
(1865-Present)
Learning Targets:
1.Contrast the cultures of Native
Americans & white settlers.
2.Identify the government’s policy
of assimilation.
3.Explain the rapid settlement of
the Great Plains due to
homesteading.
4.Examine the Struggles &
Successes on Modern Native
American Peoples
1

Great Plains – the grassland extending
through the west-central portion of the US
2

Dealing w/the “Indian Problem”
The US Governments policy
towards Native Americans can
be broken down into Three Main
Categories:
1.Geographic Movement / Relocation
• We want your land...Sign this & move!
2.Military Subjugation / Genocide
• “The only good Indian is a dead Indian”
3.Re-Education / Assimilation
• “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”
3

Two Worlds Collide
1834 – Government set aside all of
the Great Plains as “Indian lands”
1850s – Government shifts policy,
giving natives much smaller lands
The Indians continued to hunt on
“their” land & conflict ensued
White Settlers believed Indians
forfeited their rights to the land
by not settling down to “Improve” it
The Plains Indians’ way of life was
being destroyed by White Settlers
Gold & Silver Intensified the Rush
onto Native American Lands
R. R. expansion only added to this problem
4

Destruction of a Culture
Buffalo Provided Native
Americans W/ Basic Needs
Food (Flesh)
Clothing, Shelter, Weapons (Hide)
Tools & Weapons (Bones)
Bowls & Spoons (Horns)
Religious Purposes (Skull)
tourist & fur traders shot
buffalo for sport
1800: 65 million roamed the plains
1890: less than 1000 remained
Desperation set in for N.A.‘s as
their way of life was destroyed
Conflicts heated up on the plains
5

Settling the West
1862 Homestead Act
encouraged White settlements
onto the Great Plains
offered 160 acres of “free land”
to any citizen or intended citizen
Scandinavian immigrants claimed
much of this land
Timber was scarce so most
homes were made from the
earth itself:
Dugouts - homes dugout of the
sides of ravines or hills
Soddies - freestanding homes made
of turf (primarily in the flat
plains regions)
6

Bloody Conflicts
The Treaty of Fort Laramie closed
the Bozeman trail & moved the Sioux
to a reservation.
Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, didn’t
sign the treaty & fought back!
Gold Discovered in the Black Hills
Gen. Custer & the US Gov’t attempted
to drive the Indians from the area
Battle of the Little Big Horn (1876)
Often called Custer’s Last Stand
Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull led Sioux
Custer was outflanked & Crushed
This proved to be one of the only
Major Native American Victories of the
Entire Indian Wars...it was short lived!
7

Assimilation of Natives
After Custer’s epic defeat at the
battle of the Little Big Horn the
US realized that subjugation was
not going to be effective &
Assimilation became the preferred
Approach when dealing w/the
“Indian problem”
Assimilation – A plan under which
Native Americans would give up
their beliefs and way of life and
become a part of the white culture.
8

THE DAWES ACT - 1887
The Dawes Act of 1887 attempted
to assimilate natives
The Dawes Act called for the break
up of reservations into small
plots of land (individually owned)
Wanted to make Indians farm like whites
US Gov’t sold Rez land to Whites
By 1932, ⅔ of the land committed to
Native Americans had been taken from
Indians & given/sold to whites (in effect
stolen from them w/o their consent)
9

Winning the West
Federal land grants and
the completion of the
transcontinental
railroad led to the rapid
settlement of American
West
1889 Homestead Act
encouraged even more
settlement in the west
Exoduster - African-
Americans from post-
Reconstruction South
moved to Kansas
10

The Wounded Knee Massacre
On December 29, 1890, the
Seventh Cavalry (Custer’s old
regiment) rounded up 350
Sioux and took them to
Wounded Knee, S.D.
A shot was fired – within
minutes the Seventh Cavalry
slaughtered 300 unarmed
Natives
This event brought the “Indian
Wars” – and an entire era – to
a bitter end
11

American Indian Movement
Indians Continued to Struggle in Modern Society
Impoverished; Unemployed; High Infant Death Rate; Low Life
Expectancy; Alcohol & Drug Abuse
1950s: Relocate N.A. from Rez to urban settings (Epic Fail)
1960s: Dec. of Indian Purpose; National Council on Indian
Opportunities
AIM (1968) - Protect Native rights (often militant)
Trail of Broken Treaties (1972 - march on DC) - sought end of
BIA; restoration of Indian Lands; $2M of property damage
Wounded Knee (1973) - AIM seized the town; shootout ensued (2
Native Americans killed); gov’t promised Action to end standoff
Native American Victories
Indian Education Act (1972)
Indian Self-Determination & Education Assistance Act (1975)
Some lands were returned to Indians (1970s-1980s)
12