American Policies Toward Native Americans In The 1900's

America’s policies towards Native Americans were very poor in the 1850’s to the 1900’s. It could also be said to this present day. In our history it is clear this statement does not apply to the

Native Americans. : "All men are created free and equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights and that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." as quoted from the Declaration of Independence. Broken promises were made to the Native

Americans Indians. From being forced to move from their land, having laws made against them by the government. In the mid – 1800’s approximately 75,000 Indians known as the great Plain region was home to the Indians tribes which were mostly known as the Apache, Comanche,

Native Americans did not want to abandon their homelands to settle on federal land. The first battle that broke out was known as the” Sand Creek Massacre” it took place in 1864 in Colorado against the Cheyenne tribe. The US troops took the lives of 200 Cheyenne. More gold was discovered in the Black Hill home of the Sioux. The US government demanded the Sioux move away. The leaders of the Sioux tribe known as Chief Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were not happy with this demand and frankly tired of the US government. Crazy Horse was the political leader and Crazy Horse was the commander of Sioux warriors these two would become known in the most famous of the Indian Wars known as “The Battle of Big Horn “against Lieutenant Colonel which lost his life and is known as Custer’s Last Stand. This war was won by the Sioux but the government quickly moved in and eventually took over. Most Sioux moved to the reservations. In the Southwest and the Navajo resisted moving to a reservation. Along with the Navajo, was also forced to move to Oklahoma. The Apache tribe was moved to Arizona. The Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 was one of the last wars. 1890, the U.S. government worried about the increasing power of Sioux Indians at Pine Ridge reservation and worried about the Ghost Dance spiritual movement which the Sioux believed that if they practiced the Ghost Dance and rejected the ways of the white man, the gods would create the new world and destroy all who did not believe, including the white man. Mostly half of the Sioux were killed, it was a bloody massacre. The Dawes General Allotment Act passed in 1887 which was created to “civilize” American Indians instead of following tradition. American Indians became citizens and land was no longer shared. The results were not good, land was lost and living conditions were not improved. Native Americans were not happy