HIstory

Notes: Westward Expansion and Native Americans

Main Idea

• As American settlers moved west, conflicts with Native American tribes increased.

• The U.S. government used treaties, military force, and assimilation to remove Native Americans from their lands.

• These policies permanently changed Native American life, culture, and land ownership.1. Claiming Land & Relocating Native Americans

1. Claiming Land & Relocating Native Americans

Background

• Around 250,000 Native Americans lived on the Great Plains before large-scale westward expansion.

• Settlers wanted land for:

  • Farming

  • Mining

  • Ranching

Indian Removal Act (1830)

• Forced eastern tribes west of the Mississippi River.

• Led to the Trail of Tears (1831–1838).

• Nearly 50,000 Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek people were relocated to present-day Oklahoma.

2. Treaties First Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)

First Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)

• Created tribal boundaries and reservations.

• Government promised:

  • $50,000 yearly payments

  • Protection from settlers

• Problems:

  • Payments often never arrived.

  • Settlers ignored reservation boundaries.

  • Reservations became poor and faced starvation.

3. Major Conflicts Dakota War (1862)

Causes

• Missing government payments

• Hunger

• White settlement on Dakota lands

Results

• Over 1,000 settlers were killed or captured.

• 303 Dakota men sentenced to death.

• President Lincoln reduced executions to 38 men.

• Largest mass execution in U.S. history.

• Dakota families were removed from Minnesota.

Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

• Led by Colonel John Chivington.

• Attacked a peaceful Cheyenne camp led by Black Kettle.

• Camp displayed:

  • American flag

  • White flag of surrender

• Around 100 Native Americans killed, mostly women and children.

• Bodies were mutilated.

• Army later condemned Chivington's actions.

Second Treaty of Fort Laramie

Moved Lakota people to the Black Hills.

Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek

Moved Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Comanche to Indian Territory (Oklahoma).

Gold in the Black Hills

• Gold discovered after treaty.

• Thousands of miners entered illegally.

• Lakota protested.

• Government tried to buy the land.

• Lakota refused.

• Army forced removal.

Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)

Leaders

• Sitting Bull

• George Custer

What happened

• Custer attacked a much larger Native force.

• Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho defeated the 7th Cavalry.

• Custer and 262 soldiers were killed.

Importance

• Greatest Native American victory against the U.S. Army.

• Did not stop U.S. expansion.

4. Native American Defeat After Little Bighorn:

After Little Bighorn:

• U.S. Army increased attacks.

• Many tribes surrendered or fled.

• Sitting Bull escaped to Canada.

• Other tribes (Blackfoot, Crow, Utes, Nez Perce) lost their land

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890)

Cause

• Lakota practiced the Ghost Dance, hoping for spiritual renewal.

• White settlers feared rebellion.

What happened

• 7th Cavalry surrounded Lakota.

• During surrender, a gun discharged.

• Soldiers opened fire.

Results

• 150–300 Lakota (men, women, and children) killed.

• 25 U.S. soldiers died (many by friendly fire).

• Marked the end of the Indian Wars.

5. Americanization (Assimilation)

Goal

Replace Native American culture with Euro-American culture.

Methods

• Christianity

• English language

• Individual land ownership

• Education

Boarding Schools

Example:

• Carlisle Indian School

Students were forced to:

• Speak English

• Wear American clothing

• Cut their hair

• Stop practicing Native traditions

• Learn vocational or domestic skills

Purpose:

• Assimilate Native children into American society.

6. Dawes Severalty Act (1887)

Purpose

Break up tribal lands and encourage individual farming.

Key Features

• 160 acres given to heads of families.

• Government held land in trust for 25 years.

• Citizenship tied to land ownership.

• Full U.S. citizenship for all Native Americans was not granted until 1924.

Effects

• Tribal land ownership weakened.

• Native Americans received poor-quality land.

• About 80 million acres of Native land were sold to White settlers.

• Tribal culture and communal living were undermined.

Important People

Important People

• Abraham Lincoln – Reduced Dakota executions from 303 to 38.

• Sitting Bull – Lakota leader at Little Bighorn.

• George Custer – U.S. cavalry leader defeated at Little Bighorn.

• Black Kettle – Cheyenne leader attacked at Sand Creek.

• John Chivington – Led the Sand Creek Massacre.

• Bigfoot – Lakota leader during Wounded Knee.

Key Terms

• Indian Removal Act (1830) – Forced relocation of eastern tribes.

• Trail of Tears – Forced removal to Oklahoma.

• Reservation – Land set aside for Native Americans.

• First Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) – Created reservations.

• Second Treaty of Fort Laramie – Moved Lakota to Black Hills.

• Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek – Moved Southern Plains tribes to Oklahoma.

• Ghost Dance – Religious movement promising Native renewal.

• Americanization – Assimilating Native Americans into White American culture.

• Boarding Schools – Schools designed to erase Native culture.

• Dawes Act (1887) – Divided tribal lands into individual farms.