Not One Was Left: The Battle of Wounded Knee On the cold morning of December 29, 1890 an event occurred between the United States Militia and the Native Americans led by Big Foot. A battle that would make history as one of the largest Native American slaughters to date where not only Native American men were killed but many women and children as well (Chicago Daily Tribune). This event would become known as The Battle of Wounded Knee and would be covered by some of the largest media outlets known to the time. Through these outlets the story of the battle would be portrayed as bloody mass killing of Native American people and American Soldiers. Ending with the triumph of the United States Militia and how they took a step in heroism to help the Native American people “walk the white mans road” (The American Pageant, 553). When the white Americans decided to help the Native Americans transition into white culture they showed little interest in preserving the current and sacred beliefs of the Native American people at the time. In their haste to ensure the reform of Native Americans, the American Christian reformers partnered up with the United States federal government to wipe out sacred Native American cultures such as the Sun Dance in order to force the Christian religion on the Native American people. From this the Ghost Dance culture arose which led into the bloody battle that is called the Battle of Wounded Knee (The American Pageant, 553). Major Whiteside of the seventh cavalry of the United States Militia and his men were on their way to intercept Big Foot and his people who were en route to the Bad Lands. Knowing Big Foot and his people had already escaped once while being taken to Fort Bennett by Colonel Sumner. When a... ... middle of paper ... ...tten was considered to be a liberal media outlet. The article had much more detail than the others and made it clear that even though the slaughter at Wounded Knee creek was a tragedy the members of the United States Militia are still considered hero’s and the only explanation for the reactions Big Foot and his men is insanity (The New York Times). A mostly conservative newspaper the Chicago Daily Tribune states that this event was the “greatest slaughter of Indians that has occurred since 1859” and that the Battle at Wounded Knee was bloody and horrible. The article also states that the Ghost Dance culture is so deep that the children of Big Foot and his men have become invested and that instead of reacting to the battle the children laughed playfully as if nothing were happening which is a clear dramatization of the events that occurred (Chicago Daily Tribune).
On June 25, 1876, The Battle of Little Bighorn took place near the Black Hills in Montana. This was one of the most controversial battles of the 20th century and the line between good guys and bad guys was grey at best. Gen. George Armstrong Custer (reduced to LTC after the civil war) had 366 men of the 7thU.S. Cavalry under his command that day. Sitting Bull (A Medicine Man) led 2000 braves of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes (Klos, 2013). At the conclusion of the battle, the stories of the Indians savagery were used to demonize their culture and there were no survivors from the 7thcavalry to tell what really happened.
One of the main forms of violence in the Old West was murder; the rising tension between the American soldiers and the Native Americans was a main contributor to this violence. An example of this strain is the Sand Creek Massacre. American soldiers attacked unaware Native Americans of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe ethnic groups. All men, women, and children were killed and/or tortured. There were no survivors. “Two soldiers drew their pistols and shot her [a little girl]”, portraying that these sort of crimes came about regularly in the West (Document G). Another example of this is the Battle of Beecher Island. The Battle of Beecher Island, also known as the Battle of Arikaree Fork, was the armed disagreement between soldiers of the U.S. Army and a few Native American tribes. According to Document H, there were “at least 50 [men dead]; perhaps as many as 200 [men] were wounded” (Document H). Adding on to the uneasiness between the Native Americans and the white soldiers, many killings were encountered by foolishness, not battle. The Native Americans and the soldiers wanted to prove that their race is more macho and better than the other. Even though Document L states that “113 [people] recorded no trouble with the Indians”, Document M detects many problems with the Native Americans resulting in “919” troops killed (Document L, Document M). The white soldiers in the Old West would have loved to kill the Native American’s buffalo popu...
The United States government initially celebrated the Battle at Wounded Knee as the final conflict between Native Americans and the United States military - after which the western frontier was considered safe for the incoming settlers. Over 20 medals were awarded to the soldiers for their valor on the battlefield. However, the understanding has changed regarding what actually took place at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890. The Hollywood version of the Battle of Wounded Knee accurately presents the case that the Battle at Wounded Knee was actually a massacre of the Sioux - the culminating act of betrayal and aggression carried out by the United States military,
The Battle of Little Bighorn is one of the most, maybe even the most, controversial battle in American history. General George Armstrong Custer led his 210 troops into battle and never came out. Miscalculations, blunders, and personal glory led Custer not only to his death, but also being the most talked about soldier in this battle. But all the blame doesn’t just go on Custer’s shoulders; it also goes on Captain Frederick Benteen and Major Marcus Reno, who both fought in the battle. Both the Captain and the Major both made serious mistakes during the fight, most notable Major Marcus Reno being flat out drunk during the course of the battle. All of these factors have led The Battle of Little Bighorn to being the worst lost to any Plains Indian group in American history.
The Indians were being confined to crowed reservations that were poorly run, had scarce game, alcohol was plentiful, the soil was poor, and the ancient religious practices were prohibited. The Indians were not happy that they had been kicked off there land and were now forced to live on a reservation. The Indians then began to Ghost Dance a form of religion it is said that if the Indians were to do this trance like dance the country would be cleansed of white intruders. Also dead ancestors and slaughtered buffalo would return and the old ways would be reborn in a fruitful land. Once the Bureau of Indian affairs noticed what was going on they began to fear this new religion would lead to warfare. The white peoplewere scared that this new dance was a war dance. They called for army protection. Army was called in to try to curbed this new religion before it could start a war.
Smith, Michael O. “Raising a Black Regiment in Michigan: Adversity and Triumph.” Michigan Historical Review 16, no. 2 (October 1990): 22-41. Accessed April 25, 2014. http://jstor.org/stable/20173229.
The night was still and quiet. There was a deep coolness in the air. The scent of burning silver maple wood rose up from towering brick chimneys and drifted across the farmlands of Wilkinson County Mississippi. The landscape was shaped by gently rolling hills and a dispersion of farm houses sparsely scattered for hundreds of acres in all directions. This small community was known as Brookwood lies seven miles north of the town of Maelstrom Mississippi. The mostly African-American community was founded during the period of reconstruction shortly after the end of the Civil War. Now, eight decades later, another war has come to an end. Three months earlier on August 6 at exactly 8:16 am, the US dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and three days later Nagasaki. Brookwood seemed almost immune
Paine, L. (1996). The General Custer Story: new light on the drama of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Thorndike, Maine: G.K.Hall & Co.
Peterson, Nancy M. "Wounded at Wounded Knee." Wild West 17.2 (2004): 22-30. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
Native Americans suffered hundreds of years of violence, discrimination and forced relocation from their land, during the European invasion of North America. After the Europeans arrive, Indian culture soon became endangered, a culture which developed distinctively shaped tools, sewing needles, clothing, jewelry and weapons. They held strong their own higher cultural beliefs, and legends, retold to them for many generations. During the era of colonization in the United States, Native Americans were subjected to years of despair, of which includes ravaging diseases, conversion to Christianity, European technology, and procurement of native land.
The Confederate flag was a battle flag and it has many varied meanings of what it represents throughout history. People think that it represents racism and slavery, because it was flown in Southern states, which during the time Southern states promoted slavery in the Civil war. Today’s society would see the Confederate flag being flown in Texas as an act of racism not as Texas history and freedom of states. People would retaliate and try to take down the flag, if it were to be flown in Texas as they do not know the true meaning of the Confederate flag. The Confederate meaning is a group of states coming together that have gained independence and freedom. The Confederate flag should not be flown in Texas, while it has so much history in the
Social movement is a key driver of social change. Social movement can be defined as groups of individuals or organizations that have a main focus on political or social issues. The movements build off of a collective behavior to promote a particular idea that is to be implemented on a society wide scale. The Civil Rights movement is perhaps the most well-known social movement occurring in the 1960s. Its success led to the creation of many more social movements that used similar tactics to push their ideas.
The people who settled in early America came for different reasons and held different lifestyles. The Puritans and indentured servants settled in New England for new beginnings, while the Native Americans first settled throughout America to live their lives with commitment to the Earth. While all of three of these groups came at different times and with different motives, they all have made an impact on American history and influenced modern day American Culture. The Native Americans, Puritans, and indentured servants had very distinctive experiences from one another, which is worth investigating. What is an intro? Who knows?
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, U.S. policy attempted to include Native people in the protection and responsibilities of United States law. Unfortunately though, authorities saw Native beliefs and rituals as “savage or primitive obstructions” to religious and cultural integration (Brown, 2003). Between 1887 and 1934, agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs as well as Christian missionaries were given discretionary authority on any reservation. Although most violations of religious freedom did not require Congressional action, some ceremonies were restricted by Executive Order. For instance, the Dawes Act of 1887 completely restricted Native religious services and the practice of their traditional values. Other rituals that were banned included the Great Sun Dance of the Lakota and other Northern Plains Indians. The most devastating ceremonial termination was of the Ghost Dance Movement. This was an intertribal visionary an...
Brown, Dee, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, New York, Bantam Press,1970