Chapter 17 Terms

Battle of the Little Big Horn

A battle in 1876 when American cavalry under George Armstrong Carter attacked an encampment of Native Americans who refused to move to a reservation, Indian warriors led by Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull annihilated the American soldiers, victory short lived

Black Hills

Mountains in western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming, sacred to Lakota Sioux, 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie the US guaranteed Indians control of Black Hills, broke promise after gold was discovered

Chief Joseph

Nez Perce, resisted the forced removal of his people to a reservation in 1877 and led over 700 followers on a 1,170 mile trek to avoid US Army and flee to Canada, forced to surrender, symbol of Indian resistance

Chinese Exclusion Act

A law passed in 1882 that effectively barred Chinese immigration and set precedent for further immigration restrictions, population in America dropped sharply as a result of the passage of act, fueled by racial & cultural animosities

Comanche Indians

Powerful Native American tribe known for horsemanship, warrior skills, dominating Great Plains, resisted US expansion, forced onto reservations after their defeat

Comstock Lode

Silver ore deposits discovered in 1859 in Nevada, the discovery touched off a mining rush that brought diverse populations into region, established boomtowns Ex: Virginia City, Nevada

Crazy Horse

Lakota Sioux leader, known for role in Battle of Little Bighorn, played crucial role in the defeat of General George Custers 7th Cavalry, symbol of Native American resistance to US military during Indian Wars, protected his people

Dawes Allotment Act

1887 law that divided up reservations and allotted parcels of land to individual Native Americans as private property, US government sold almost 2/3rds of “surplus” Indian land to white settlers

Frederick Jackson Turner

Delivered frontier thesis “The significance of the Frontier in American History”, noted that 1890 census no longer discerned a clear frontier line, the continuous westward expansion of settlers and the “closing” of frontier marked end of an era in American History

Geronimo

Respected shaman (medicine man) of Chiricahua Apache, refused to stay at San Carlos, repeatedly led raiding parties in early 1880s, his warriors attacked ranches to obtain ammunition& horses, had a band of 18 men/ 20 women, children

Ghost Dance

Religion founded in 1889 by Paiute shaman Wovoka, combined elements of Christianity and traditional Native American religion & served as a non violent form of resistance for Indians, scared white people, violently suppressed

Homestead Act of 1862

Promised 160 acres in the trans- Mississippi West free to any citizen or prospective citizen who settled on the land for 5 years, spurred American settlement of West, one tenth of US granted to settlers

Homesteaders

individuals or families who settled on land by the Homestead Act of 1862

Railroads

opened new areas and actively recruited settlers, after 1st completed one, homesteaders abandoned covered wagons

Reservations

designated areas for Native Americans

Sioux Indians

Native American tripes originally inhabited Great Plains of North America, 3 divisions ( Dakota, Dakota, Lakota)

Sitting Bull

Lakota Sioux leader, led battle of Little Big Horn

Wounded Knee

1890 massacre of Sioux Indians by 7th Cavalry at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, sent to suppress Ghost Dance, soldiers opened fire on the Sioux as they attempted to surrender, more than 200 Sioux men, women, and children were killed, this was the last episode in the “Indian Wars”