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Five Civilized Tribes
. In 1861, the Confederate government organizes a Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most tribes remain neutral. The South, however, makes promises to Indians concerning the return of their tribal lands to encourage their support. After the war, as punishment for their support of the Confederacy, the Five Civilized Tribes are compelled to accept a treaty relinquishing the western half of the Indian Territory to 20 tribes from Kansas and Nebraska. -
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Broken Promises: Native American Treaties 1861-1877
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Homestead Act Opens up the West
1862 Homestead Act opens up Indian land in Kansas and Nebraska to white homesteaders, who are deeded 160-acre plots after inhabiting them for five years. -
Sioux uprising
1862-63 Santee Sioux stage an uprising in Minnesota under Chief Little Crow. In 1863-64, it spreads to North Dakota and involves the Teton Sioux as well. Lincoln ordered that Thirty-eight Indians were to be sentenced and hanged in the following year. -
Sand Creek Massacre
In 1864, Chivington's Colorado Volunteers kill more than 300 Indians in the Sand Creek Massacre. -
U.S. buys Alaska from Russia
1867 United States purchases Alaska from Russia, adding Eskimo and Aleut population to its own. -
Peace Comission
Peace Commission makes a survey of Indian affairs and recommends that the current treaty process be abandoned. This commission and the Nez Perce Indians negotiate the last of 370 treaties between the federal government and tribes. -
1868
Indians are denied the right to vote as a result of the 14th Amendment. President Grant gives control of Indian agencies to 12 different Christian denominations instead of army officers. 1868 President Grant's so-called "Peace Policy" is inaugurated and lasts until 1874. -
1869
Transcontinental railroad completed; the Union Pacific and Central Pacific join up at Promontory Point, Utah. Brigadier General Ely Parker (Donehogawa), a Seneca, becomes the first Native Commissioner of Indian Affairs, serving until 1871. -
GOLD! discovered in the black hills of South Dakota
1871 Gold discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Treaties protecting Indian lands ignored by miners. Treaty-making period formally ends as Congress passes law forbidding further negotiations of treaties with Indian tribes. The Cherokee Tobacco Case of 1870, ruling that the Cherokees are not exempt from taxes on produce (as established in an earlier treaty), sets the stage for the new law. Indians are now to be subject to acts of Congress and executive orders. -
Battle of Little Big Horn and others
the Battle of Little Bighorn.1876-77 Sioux War for the Black Hills, involving the Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arapahos, under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
