the american west united states history mr. bach
TRANSCRIPT
The American West
United States History
Mr. Bach
A Clash of CulturesNative American Ways
• One with nature (no hierarchy)
• Animals are respected and only killed when necessary
• No private ownership of land
• No wars of mass killing
• All Indians created by Great Spirit
A Clash of CulturesEuropean Ways
• Man is above the natural world (hierarchy)
• Animals killed for sport
• Private ownership of land
• Wars can be won be attrition
• Created by God
Conflicts
• Land
• Animals
• Religion
• Survival
Broken Treaties - Shattered Promises
• U.S. made treaties with the Indians who didn’t represent the entire tribe
• U.S. sought to create Reservations set aside for Indians only
• U.S. had a history of constantly breaking the treaties
Waging a War• General Phillip Sheridan -
“Only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
• Mass killing of buffalo to eliminate Indians’ food source
• Sickness and disease - Indians had no immunity to European diseases
• Alcoholism
Destroying the Buffalo
• 1800 Population = 60 million
• 1886 Population = 541
• 2001 Population = 250 thousand
Path to the Little Big Horn• Because of
broken treaties, Sioux Chief Red Cloud wages a war against the U.S.
• U.S. ends war by agreeing to give the Sioux the Dakotas
Path to the Little Big Horn• Gold is discovered in
the Black Hills, South Dakota
• Black Hills is sacred land to the Sioux
• White miners invade the Black Hills
• U.S. sends Gen. George Custer to defend the miners
Battle of the Little Big Horn• U.S. sends Custer to force
the Indians back onto the Reservation
• Custer discovers a huge band of Indians under Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Gall
• Custer foolishly divides his troops not knowing his enemy’s size
• Custer’s whole regiment is wiped out
Little Big Horn Aftermath• American people
are outraged by Custer’s death
• Crazy Horse is hunted down until he surrenders because of starvation
• Sitting Bull is chased to Canada
The Ghost Dance• Facing destruction,
Indians hope for a miracle
• Paiute leader Wovoka describes a vision whereby Indians will be saved from the whites
• Urges Indians to dance the “Ghost Dance”
Massacre at Wounded Knee• The Ghost Dance
makes the U.S. nervous - could lead to new Indian resistance
• U.S. tries to break up the Ghost Dance
• Sitting Bull killed by U.S. soldiers
• Indians leave the Pine Ridge Reservation
Massacre at Wounded Knee• U.S. army rounds up
fugitive Indians at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota
• When army goes to confiscate Indian guns, a shot is fired
• Army kills Indian men, women, and children with machine guns
• Indian wars end
“Americanizing” the Indians
• Dawes Act - seeks to convert the Indians to white ways
• Fails because of Indian resistance, white skepticism, and white discrimination
Native Americans Today
• Poorest ethnic group in the U.S. today
• 1/3 Indians living in poverty
• Per capita income on reservations = $4,500
• 1/5 Indian homes lack a toilet and telephone
• 80% unemployment rate
• Rampant alcoholism