Western Indians

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Recommended: The influence of the westward movement on America

In the late nineteenth century the expansion to the west increased the American culture. Since population was growing they needed to satisfy demands equally for every person. The idea of Manifest Destiny was used as a justification for the expansion and westward movement. Natives Americans were against the thought Americans had about the West. As a result Americans put a number of policies that helped remove the Natives Americans of the West. Americans were trying to destroy the culture Natives had.

Thomas Fitzpatrick was an Indian agent that had convinced the Natives to move and live in the west side of the Mississippi River. Natives thought they would be safe there because it was illegal for Americans to go in their territory. Even with that protection of the land Americans will sneak in to find gold, which caused for the Indians to be displaced again. It made the Cheyenne and Arapaho move from the land that was once promised to them. Thus to find steady to the invasion, the government passed the "concentration" policy which stated that the Natives are to be paid to stay in general areas of land away from the major transportation routes. This policy didn't work as well as the government had thought so they implemented the "reservation" policy. The "reservation" policy was made so they could remove Native Americans from direct contact with the white migrants who were pressuring the governments for each territory that will ultimately destroy the Indians culture.

The "reservation" policy is said to be policy that shrunk Indian Territory to the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory and to Oklahoma. All of the Natives customs were threatened. "Indians used buffalo for food, clothing, fuel and even shelter" (Carnes and Garraty 456). As a result of the invasion Indians stopped hunting and many tribes became infuriated. Indian response classified them as either "treaty" Indians or "non-treaty" Indians. "Treaty" Indians were the ones that their chief agreed to comply with the "reservation" policy so they signed it and took it to its people. The "non- treaty" Indians were the ones who refused to sign the policy and as a result would go to war with the U.S Army. In order to protect the "treaty" Indians they created the Department of Interior which was responsible for keeping the national security. This Department includes what is called the Bureau of Indians that provides education services to Indians.

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