MAIN EVENTS FOR NATIVE
AMERICANS
1876 BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG HORN
Custer sent to return members of Sioux and Cheyenne tribe who left
their tribe and refused to return – life on the reservations was bad
Custer attacked them at full force and ended up killing himself and 200
men
Example of failed resistance from NAs – led to US govt attempt at
further weakening them
Most of the US horrified about what happened to the US cavalry – NAs
seen as savages.
SITTING BULL A CONSTANT SYMBOL OF RESISTANCE, A CONTINUAL DEFENDER
OF THE INDIAN CULTURE
1887 DAWES ACT
An alternative to the reservation policy
Created by Henry Dawes
Aimed to divide up reservations into plots of land allotments given to
the NAs to own
This went against NA beliefs
o Land couldn’t be owned
o Land given to men, NA society was matriarchal
Meant that by owning land, NAs became US citizens and gain es civil
rights like voting and paying taxes – however they experienced
discrimination when exercising these civil rights.
Each family given either 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing
land for 25 years, they then owned the land
By 1900, of 150 million acres of reservation land only 78 million acres
were given to NAs – loss of land
Some of the land was unsuitable for farming which meant that most of
them sold the land to white settlers to pay debts – except Navajo tribe
, 1890 Wounded Knee massacre
Sitting Bull killed after being mistaken as the Ghost dancer by the
reservation police – conflict breaks out
US cavalry surrounds Wounded Knee creek and demanded for them to
surrender their weapons
Fight breaks out and a shot is fired – unclear which side from
A brutal massacre followed, in which it’s estimated 300 Indians were
killed – 25 US troops killed
Symbolised NA resistance
1898 CURTIS ACT
Amendment to the Dawes Act
The five civilized tribes were exempt from the Dawes Act because they
were seen as much more civilised because they had good relations with
white settlers and the govt.
Curtis act aimed to involve them in the Dawes Act after they were forced
to leave their land
1902 Cherokee Nation vs Hitchcock
Cherokees continued to fight the right of congress to deny them to live
according to their own laws and traditions
1903 Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock
Ended with SC decision that US govt could revoke all treaties with NA’s
1911 Society of American Indians established
Different because made up of educated NAs not white Americans
Campaigned for better healthcare and education
AMERICANS
1876 BATTLE OF LITTLE BIG HORN
Custer sent to return members of Sioux and Cheyenne tribe who left
their tribe and refused to return – life on the reservations was bad
Custer attacked them at full force and ended up killing himself and 200
men
Example of failed resistance from NAs – led to US govt attempt at
further weakening them
Most of the US horrified about what happened to the US cavalry – NAs
seen as savages.
SITTING BULL A CONSTANT SYMBOL OF RESISTANCE, A CONTINUAL DEFENDER
OF THE INDIAN CULTURE
1887 DAWES ACT
An alternative to the reservation policy
Created by Henry Dawes
Aimed to divide up reservations into plots of land allotments given to
the NAs to own
This went against NA beliefs
o Land couldn’t be owned
o Land given to men, NA society was matriarchal
Meant that by owning land, NAs became US citizens and gain es civil
rights like voting and paying taxes – however they experienced
discrimination when exercising these civil rights.
Each family given either 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing
land for 25 years, they then owned the land
By 1900, of 150 million acres of reservation land only 78 million acres
were given to NAs – loss of land
Some of the land was unsuitable for farming which meant that most of
them sold the land to white settlers to pay debts – except Navajo tribe
, 1890 Wounded Knee massacre
Sitting Bull killed after being mistaken as the Ghost dancer by the
reservation police – conflict breaks out
US cavalry surrounds Wounded Knee creek and demanded for them to
surrender their weapons
Fight breaks out and a shot is fired – unclear which side from
A brutal massacre followed, in which it’s estimated 300 Indians were
killed – 25 US troops killed
Symbolised NA resistance
1898 CURTIS ACT
Amendment to the Dawes Act
The five civilized tribes were exempt from the Dawes Act because they
were seen as much more civilised because they had good relations with
white settlers and the govt.
Curtis act aimed to involve them in the Dawes Act after they were forced
to leave their land
1902 Cherokee Nation vs Hitchcock
Cherokees continued to fight the right of congress to deny them to live
according to their own laws and traditions
1903 Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock
Ended with SC decision that US govt could revoke all treaties with NA’s
1911 Society of American Indians established
Different because made up of educated NAs not white Americans
Campaigned for better healthcare and education
