Conflict on the Great Plains

Homestead Act of 1862

Apr 19, 1862

Brought farmers to the plains, and whoever paid them a certain amount of a fee they got 160 acres of free land. This act brought in many settlers and immagrints were now allowed to be elliglbe to file for land. Single women could participate also.

Fetterman Massacre

Dec 21, 1866

Happened in Wyoming, the tribes Sioux, Cheyenne, and the Arapaho ambushed army troops who were protecting a fort on the Bozeman Trail, Crazy Horse who was the leader of the Sioux Tribe military tricked the protecting fort army into a trap. Warriors who were waiting near the trap ambushed the troops sent and wiped them out.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

Dec 23, 1868

Formed in order to make the Sioux reservations, but was expanded in order to have miners find gold. This treaty was to bring peace between the Whites and Native Americans, However George Custer broke this treaty by going onto the Sioux hunting grounds in order to protect the prospectors (miners) who were searching for gold. The U.S. Army promised that they would stay off the hunting grounds of the Sioux tribe. The Native Americans promised that they would continue fighting the U.S. Army anymore

1874 Discovery

Oct 7, 1874

Rumors were said that in the Black Hills of the Dakotas and Custer and his men confirmed there was gold. After they had confirmed this rumor, Prospectors swarmed the area. The Govt. had said that " No white person(s) shall be allowed to settle or occupy or even pass through these hills". Sitting Bull and his Sioux tribe protested against the tresspassers

Battle of Little Bighorn

Jun 25, 1876

Sitting Bull, the siouxs tribal leader, led his trbe and the cheyenne tribe to the Little Bighorn River (which is in present-day Montana) the U.S Army was ordered to round them up and send them to the reservtons the govt had built for them. Led by George Custer, he led his 750 troops against the Sioux and Cheyenne forces that contained thousands of tribe members.However, Custer and his men lost the battle and this loss shocked the nation.

Ghost Dance

Oct 7, 1890

The Sioux tribe preformed this rituial in order to bring thier culture back at which it had been destoryed by the Dawes Act. The ritual spread thorughout the Sioux nation at which alerted the reservation offiacals and they decided to ban the dance. However, due to the protesting by the Sioux tribal leader Sitting Bull they decided to arrest him, but during a fight they shot and killed him.

Wounded Knee

Dec 29, 1890

Marked the end of armed conflicts between whites and Native Americans. The U.S. Army went to Wounded Knee to collect the Sioux weapons and no one knows how but when a pistol shot sounded a battle started.More than 300 Sioux and 25 soilders were killed during this battle, this battle marked the end of the fighting between the whites and native americans.