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Native American Reservation
The federal government passed an act designated to Great Plains as one reservation. Land was set aside for Native American Tribes. -
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Government changes policy
The government changes the policy and created treaties that defined specific boundaries for each tribe. -
Massacre at Sand Creek
Most of the Cheyenne, assuming they were under protection of U.S. government , had peacefully returned to Colorado's Sand Creek Reserve for the winter. General S.R. Curtis, U.S army commander sent a telegram to militia colonel John Chivington that said " I want no peace till the Indians suffer more" So troops descended on the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The attack at dawn killed over 150 inhabitants mostly women and children. -
Death On the Bozeman Trail( Fetterman's Massacre)
The Sioux chief, Red Cloud, had unsuccessfully appealed to the government to end white settlement on the trail. Crazy Horse ambushed Captain William Fetterman and his company at Lodge Trail Ridge. Over 80 soldiers were killed. Native Americans called it Battle of the hundred slain, and whites called it Fetterman's Massacre. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
Government agreed to shut down the Bozeman Trail. Treaty of Fort Laramie made Sioux agree to live on a reservation along the Missouri River, was forced on the leaders of the Sioux tribes. Sitting Bull, leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux, had never signed it. Although the Oglala and Brule Sioux did sign the treaty, they expected to continue using their traditional hunting grounds. -
Gold Rush
Within four years of the treaty of Laramie. George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills had gold " From the grass roots down" a gold rush was on. -
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Red River War
War broke out again as the Kiowa and Comanche engaged in six years of raiding that finally led to the Red River War. The U,S, Army responded by herding the people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire on all others. General Phillip Sheridan, a Union army veteran, gave orders "to destroy their villages and ponies, to kill and hang all warriors, and to bring back all women and children." With such tactics, the army crushed resistance on the southern plains. -
Custer's Last Stand
The Sioux and Cheyenne held a sun dance, during which Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. When Colonel Custer and his troops reached the Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready for them. Led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull, the warriors flanked and crushed Custer's troops. Within an hour, Custer and all of the men of the Seventh Cavalry were dead. To prevent people's starvation , Sitting Bull was forced to surrender. -
Dawes Act
"Americanized" the Native Americans. The act broke up the reservations and gave some of the reservation land to individual Native Americans,160 acres to each head of household and 80 acres to each unmarried adult. Government would sell remainder of the reservations of settlers,the resulting income would be used by Native Americans to buy farm implements. By 1932, whites had taken about 2/3 of the territory that had been set aside for Native Americans, received no money from sale of these lands. -
The Battle of Wounded Knee
The Seventh Cavalry, rounded up about 350 starving and freezing Sioux and took them to a camp at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. Next day, soldiers demanded that the Native Americans give up all their weapons. A shot was fired; from which side, it was not clear. The soldiers opened their fire with deadly cannon. Within minutes, the seventh cavalry slaughtered as many as 300 unarmed Native Americans, including several children. The soldiers left corpses to freeze on the ground.
