Fort Laramie Treaty (1851, 1868): A treaty between the U.S. government and various Native American tribes, granting specific land to Native Americans while allowing westward expansion for white settlers. However, the treaty was repeatedly violated.
Indian Appropriation Act (1871): A law that ended the recognition of Native American tribes as independent nations and placed them under U.S. government control.
Medicine Lodge Treaty (1867): A treaty between the U.S. and Southern Plains tribes (Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne, etc.), requiring Native Americans to move to reservations.
Dancing Rabbit Creek Treaty (1830): A treaty that forced the Choctaw Nation to relocate west of the Mississippi River, marking the beginning of the Trail of Tears.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, granting the U.S. territories such as California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Sand Creek Massacre (1864): A massacre in which Colorado militia attacked Cheyenne and Arapaho villages, killing over 200 Native Americans, including women and children.
Battle at Horseshoe Bend (1814): A battle where U.S. forces, led by Andrew Jackson, killed over 800 Creek warriors.
Custer’s Last Stand / Battle of Little Bighorn (1876): A battle where Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne warriors defeated George Custer’s troops. Although a major victory for Native Americans, it led to harsher U.S. policies against them.
The Battle of Adobe Walls (1874): A battle where Comanche and Kiowa warriors fought against U.S. settlers but were ultimately defeated.
Fort Robinson Massacre (1879): A massacre in which U.S. soldiers killed Cheyenne prisoners who attempted to escape from a reservation.
Homestead Act (1862): A law that encouraged western settlement by granting 160 acres of land to settlers for free.
Manifest Destiny: The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific, often used to justify Native American displacement.
American Exceptionalism: The idea that the U.S. has a unique historical mission, which was used to justify Native American assimilation and imperialist expansion.
Forced Assimilation: A policy that aimed to absorb Native Americans into white American culture by forcing changes in language, religion, and lifestyle.
Boarding Schools: Schools where Native American children were forcibly taken to be educated in white American ways, suppressing their traditional culture and language.
Transcontinental Railroad (1869): A railroad that connected the east and west coasts of the U.S., accelerating white settlement and Native American displacement.
Promontory Point (1869): The location in Utah where the eastern (Union Pacific) and western (Central Pacific) sections of the Transcontinental Railroad were connected.
Louisiana Purchase (1803): A land deal in which the U.S. bought a vast territory from France, setting the stage for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Mexican-American War (1846-1848): A war between the U.S. and Mexico, resulting in the U.S. acquiring much of the present-day western United States.
Rio Nueces vs. Rio Grande: A border dispute between the U.S. and Mexico, with the U.S. claiming the Rio Grande as the border while Mexico claimed the Nueces River.
54'40 or Fight: A slogan advocating U.S. expansion into the Oregon Territory, reflecting tensions between the U.S. and Britain over the region.
The Powhatan Tribe: A Native American tribe from present-day Virginia, known for its interactions with English settlers, including the famous figure Pocahontas.
Ghost Dance: A religious movement among Native Americans that called for the restoration of their lands and way of life. The U.S. government saw it as a threat and violently suppressed it.
James K. Polk: The 11th U.S. president, known for his aggressive expansion policies, including the annexation of Oregon, Texas, and California.
Georgia vs. Worcester (1832): A Supreme Court case that ruled in favor of Native American sovereignty, but President Andrew Jackson ignored the ruling and continued forced removals.
Smallpox: A deadly disease brought to the Americas by Europeans, which decimated Native American populations.
Buffalo Bill Cody: A frontiersman who popularized the Wild West Show, a performance that exaggerated and romanticized Native American conflicts, reinforcing negative stereotypes.