Plains Indians In The Second Half Of The Nineteenth Century
Chapters 17-20
#2. How were the lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century affected by technological developments and government actions?
Intro:
Talk about American ideals; Expansionism, Nationalism
Previous events of the first half of the nineteenth century:
Louisiana Purchase → Prophet and Tecumseh, religious and violent revolt, 1808 on fought, War of 1812 Indians help the British (Battle of Thames)
Jackson (INDIAN HATER), Mexican American war, Improvements for Indians absolutely not included in reform wave
Expansion of market economy, new inventions for agriculture as well as textile industries, new land necessary for cultivation, new weaponry for troops, no negotiations--just crush the indians!
:(
Previous horrid events: Trail of tears
Thesis: Despite some technological advances in Indian favor, most technological developments drove Plains Indians off their land, and government actions prompted mistreatment of the Plains Indians. Whether on purpose, or by accident, both technology and government actions led to the ultimate downfall of Native American culture and society in the Plains.
Concession: Some technology allowed Plains Indians better lives.
Simple Tools:
Metal plows and corn planters = easier and better cultivation → trade
Blades and knives = easier to make clothing/harvest natural resources
The Rifle:
Shoot better, more accuracy, more power = less hunting time and more success
Defense = able to ward off other groups and enemies. Utilized against stubborn and attacking US settlers or army
T1: Technological developments in agricultural machinery and military weaponry
Transportation/Machinery:
Cotton gin/Reaper/Other fascinating dehumanizers
More production of cash crops
Wealthy landowners called for more land
Tapped into idea of being able to use all “God-given land” and cultivate to make it something better
Trans-Continental Railroad, 1869
Brings more white settlers to the west and plains
Brought diseases and Indians had no immunity = deaths
Construction and further development/towns that sprang up, demolished the land
Invasion of land/cultivation area
Disturbance of buffalos because of railroad/settlers, and excessive cheap hunting by bigoted and ignorant Americans= food and resource for Indians → Buffalo extinction= Indians die
Weaponry:
Explosives and new guns
Allowed indirect fighting in large scale area
Guerilla war tactics
Over hunting and cheap exploitation of buffalo
Americans did not know how to harvest all uses of buffalo, wasting what had provided Indians with useful materials, hurt trade for the Indians
Resulted in:
George Armstrong Custer, the United States Army cavalry commander at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876
Sioux war erupted when the Dakota gold rush penetrated the Black Hills
Miners invade! (due to ease of transportation and technology with allowed for greater mining)
1890, a Ghost Dance ritual on the Northern Lakota reservation at Wounded Knee South Dakota, led to the Army's attempt to disarm the Lakota.
During this attempt, gunfire erupted, and soldiers killed approximately 100 Indians. I’M ENRAGED.
T2: Government actions spurred on by white aggravation and retaliation of Indians in response to mistreatment, led to unnecessary and bloody clashes of Plains Indians against American Troops.
Government betrayal:
Homestead Act of 1862:
It stated that a citizen could claim a 160 acre plot of land for FREE, so long as they live there for five years and set up some amenities.
It seemed great; free land, right? NOPE.
That land came from someone, and that someone was the Native American population!
Thousands of acres of land that rightfully belonged to the Native Americans were given to people, and some of the land was hoarded and bought up by rich snobs!
(Can you tell Erin is progressively getting more tired and thus more crazy?)
Dawes Act 1887:
SEEMINGLY good. Supposed to offer Native American families land to cultivate and live on
They had every right to be skeptical!
Rich land-mongers bought up land, bribed, threatened Indians
Government plan to split up Native tribes and instil “American family values” → split up communities → weak when not united → government take advantage of Indians (HOW CORRUPT)
Other treaties and pacts that had been broken before
See above about the Sioux hunting grounds
Resulted in: (DUN DUN DUN)
In 1864, one of the more infamous Indian War: Sand Creek Massacre.
Indians at Sand Creek had been assured by the U.S. Government that they would be safe in the territory they were occupying
But anti-Indian sentiments by white settlers were running high.
A locally raised militia attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in southeast Colorado and killed and mutilated an estimated 150 men, women, and children (THOSE WHITE PEOPLE!)
George Armstrong Custer, the United States Army cavalry commander at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876
The U.S. Army did not keep miners off Sioux hunting grounds, yet, when ordered to take action against bands of Sioux hunting on the range,
Conclusion:
NOTHING WE SAY OR DO CAN UNDO A CULTURE AND PEOPLE LOST TO HUMAN GREED AND SELFISH AMBITION.
TECHNOLOGY = VIOLENCE
GOVERNMENT = CORRUPT
AMERICANS SUBDUED THE INDIANS. TERRIBLY SUCCESSFUL IN THE END.
#2. How were the lives of the Plains Indians in the second half of the nineteenth century affected by technological developments and government actions?
Intro:
Talk about American ideals; Expansionism, Nationalism
Previous events of the first half of the nineteenth century:
Louisiana Purchase → Prophet and Tecumseh, religious and violent revolt, 1808 on fought, War of 1812 Indians help the British (Battle of Thames)
Jackson (INDIAN HATER), Mexican American war, Improvements for Indians absolutely not included in reform wave
Expansion of market economy, new inventions for agriculture as well as textile industries, new land necessary for cultivation, new weaponry for troops, no negotiations--just crush the indians!
:(
Previous horrid events: Trail of tears
Thesis: Despite some technological advances in Indian favor, most technological developments drove Plains Indians off their land, and government actions prompted mistreatment of the Plains Indians. Whether on purpose, or by accident, both technology and government actions led to the ultimate downfall of Native American culture and society in the Plains.
Concession: Some technology allowed Plains Indians better lives.
Simple Tools:
Metal plows and corn planters = easier and better cultivation → trade
Blades and knives = easier to make clothing/harvest natural resources
The Rifle:
Shoot better, more accuracy, more power = less hunting time and more success
Defense = able to ward off other groups and enemies. Utilized against stubborn and attacking US settlers or army
T1: Technological developments in agricultural machinery and military weaponry
Transportation/Machinery:
Cotton gin/Reaper/Other fascinating dehumanizers
More production of cash crops
Wealthy landowners called for more land
Tapped into idea of being able to use all “God-given land” and cultivate to make it something better
Trans-Continental Railroad, 1869
Brings more white settlers to the west and plains
Brought diseases and Indians had no immunity = deaths
Construction and further development/towns that sprang up, demolished the land
Invasion of land/cultivation area
Disturbance of buffalos because of railroad/settlers, and excessive cheap hunting by bigoted and ignorant Americans= food and resource for Indians → Buffalo extinction= Indians die
Weaponry:
Explosives and new guns
Allowed indirect fighting in large scale area
Guerilla war tactics
Over hunting and cheap exploitation of buffalo
Americans did not know how to harvest all uses of buffalo, wasting what had provided Indians with useful materials, hurt trade for the Indians
Resulted in:
George Armstrong Custer, the United States Army cavalry commander at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876
Sioux war erupted when the Dakota gold rush penetrated the Black Hills
Miners invade! (due to ease of transportation and technology with allowed for greater mining)
1890, a Ghost Dance ritual on the Northern Lakota reservation at Wounded Knee South Dakota, led to the Army's attempt to disarm the Lakota.
During this attempt, gunfire erupted, and soldiers killed approximately 100 Indians. I’M ENRAGED.
T2: Government actions spurred on by white aggravation and retaliation of Indians in response to mistreatment, led to unnecessary and bloody clashes of Plains Indians against American Troops.
Government betrayal:
Homestead Act of 1862:
It stated that a citizen could claim a 160 acre plot of land for FREE, so long as they live there for five years and set up some amenities.
It seemed great; free land, right? NOPE.
That land came from someone, and that someone was the Native American population!
Thousands of acres of land that rightfully belonged to the Native Americans were given to people, and some of the land was hoarded and bought up by rich snobs!
(Can you tell Erin is progressively getting more tired and thus more crazy?)
Dawes Act 1887:
SEEMINGLY good. Supposed to offer Native American families land to cultivate and live on
They had every right to be skeptical!
Rich land-mongers bought up land, bribed, threatened Indians
Government plan to split up Native tribes and instil “American family values” → split up communities → weak when not united → government take advantage of Indians (HOW CORRUPT)
Other treaties and pacts that had been broken before
See above about the Sioux hunting grounds
Resulted in: (DUN DUN DUN)
In 1864, one of the more infamous Indian War: Sand Creek Massacre.
Indians at Sand Creek had been assured by the U.S. Government that they would be safe in the territory they were occupying
But anti-Indian sentiments by white settlers were running high.
A locally raised militia attacked a village of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in southeast Colorado and killed and mutilated an estimated 150 men, women, and children (THOSE WHITE PEOPLE!)
George Armstrong Custer, the United States Army cavalry commander at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876
The U.S. Army did not keep miners off Sioux hunting grounds, yet, when ordered to take action against bands of Sioux hunting on the range,
Conclusion:
NOTHING WE SAY OR DO CAN UNDO A CULTURE AND PEOPLE LOST TO HUMAN GREED AND SELFISH AMBITION.
TECHNOLOGY = VIOLENCE
GOVERNMENT = CORRUPT
AMERICANS SUBDUED THE INDIANS. TERRIBLY SUCCESSFUL IN THE END.