To what extent were Native Americans the victims of genocide from 1800-1900
Wars
Assimilation
Attitudes
Why did they happen?
From US
President Jackson policy
White settlers (going onto sacred sites belonging to the Natives according to the treaties made them go to war)
President Grant's policy 1869
From Natives
Bad as their ways were being taken away from them (Assimilation)
Civil War
Manifest Destiny played a role (as westward expansion meant NA lost land and were forced to go onto reservations as the US wanted the land
Differences in ideologies caused conflict (we can see this when America tries to Americanise the Natives)
The Role of the army
Little bighorn
Wounded Knee
Reservations
Indian removal act
Americanised the Natives as...
Education
Conversion to christianity
Natives had to become farmers
polygamy had to be abandoned
Braves could no longer demonstrate their skill as warriors
herbal remedies forbidden
tribal law abolished
power of the chief was ended
Originally Natives were nomads
Tribal life could be continued within the reservation until the dawes act
The Dawes Act
Ending tribal life
Each head of the family received 160 acres of reservation land for farming
Or 320 grazing land acres, single males given 80 acres
Chief lost power
After 25 years they had the right to citizenship as they paid tax
They did not want this
Any land left over on the reservation would be sold off to white settlers (Natives lost more land)
Destruction of the buffalo
Tribes used every part of the buffalo so when they were being destroyed it meant many indians would starve to death
was a cause of warfare
US hunted them for hides and tongues (wasted the rest)
Essential to the survival of Native Americans
Many were because of encroachment onto NA land
Some due to lack of supplies (e.g. cheyenne uprising)
NA didn't like Americans making reservations or changing their ways
Outnumbered NA and far too strong for them
Build a series of forts which gave them control of the great plains
Unable to wage long campaigns
Buffalo replaced with cows
Gave them a stronghold to attack from
NA couldn't raise as large forces
Have families to care for
Started due to the Ghost Dance which threatened white settlers
General Custer was sent to the black hills of Dakota to protect company surveyors (broke treaty of Laramie) and the discovery of gold was a cataylst
Sitting Bull and crazy horse had raised 7000 Men and this caused a humiliating defeat towards custer and it led to US being tougher on NA and Wounded knee
200 unarmed men, women and children were killed
Last of the resisting sioux rounded up
Survivor Black Elk said it was responsible in destroying a Nation
Led to the Trail of Tears:
The 5 civilised tribes were forced to leave the east and travel west which they didn't want to do
The tribes hadn't been given enough supplies and so 2000-4000 people died on the journey
The Bureau of Indian affairs
oversee treaty negotiations
After civil war played big part in civilising the NA (aim to dismantle tribal government)
tried to follow 'peace policy'
Established a new board of Indian Commissioners to supervise conditions on the reservation
Failed and caused more conflict as there was not enough wildlife on the reservation for NA to hunt there and they were not given the supplies they were promised
White settlers kept on encroaching onto NA land
Led to the Wars
For tribes like the Sioux this reduced their land as they had to sign treaties
Civil War increased Westward expanision
This reduced their hunting lands key to survival
They became dependant on Government supplies
However during the Civil War government had other priorities and therefore aid did not always reach the Native Americans, this caused unrest and led to the plain wars
Civil War led to determination of the government to secure the land west of Mississippi
Federal territories were created and farmers encouraged to go west with the homestead Act 1862
By 1865 some 20,000 had settled on the plains
Due to WW, Navajo and Apache had been moved to reservations which associated with the destruction of their culture
However the Civil War may have provided some NA to reverse the process of losing land, as government troops were withdrawn to help fight in the war
These troops would have been replaced with untrained volunteers who lacked discipline
Resulting in conflict
Conflict:
Sand Creek Massacre
Minnesota 1862
Dakota Sioux were not given supplies and so killed 800 white settlers
Led to the losing land in Minnesota
Cheyenne and Arapaho accepted a treaty moving them further west, the protestors were gathered at Fort Lyon, Sand Creek where they were promised protection
Despite this they were attacked and 450 NA including women and children were killed. The Cheyenne gave up their lands
The Killers were seen as heros which shows the attitudes towards NA
Seminole wars 1816-58
3 seminole wars which eventually meant the seminole left florida
Background
Treaties
Fort Laramie
Difference in Ideologies
Boarding Schools