Nathanial Meeker Massacre Analysis

Most Americans have at least some vague image of the Trail of Tears, but not very many know of the events that led to that tragic removal of several thousand Indians from their homeland. Indian lands were held hostage by the states and the federal government, and Indians had to agree to removal to preserve their identity as tribes. Trail of Tears is an excellent snapshot of a particular situation and will be eye opening to those who are not familiar with the story of the southern tribes and their interactions with the burgeoning American population. The Trail of Tears has become the symbol in American history that signifies the callousness of American policy makers toward American Indians in 1839 and 1839.

There are many ways in which we can view the history of the American West. One view is the popular story of Cowboys and Indians. It is a grand story filled with adventure, excitement and gold. Another perspective is one of the Native Plains Indians and the rich histories that spanned thousands of years before white discovery and settlement. Elliot West’s book, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, offers a view into both of these worlds. West shows how the histories of both nations intertwine, relate and clash all while dealing with complex geological and environmental challenges. West argues that an understanding of the settling of the Great Plains must come from a deeper understanding, a more thorough

During the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had formed policies which reduced land allotted to Native Americans. By enforcing these laws as well as Anglo-American ideals, the United States compromised indigenous people’s culture and ability to thrive in its society.

Many people think of the Civil War and America’s Indian wars as distinct subjects, one following the other. But those who study the Sand Creek Massacre know different. On Nov. 29, 1864, as Union armies fought through Virginia and Georgia, Col. John Chivington led some 700 cavalry troops in an unprovoked attack on peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho villagers at Sand Creek in Colorado. They murdered nearly 200 women, children and older men. Sand Creek was one of many assaults on American Indians during the war, from Patrick Edward Connor’s massacre of Shoshone villagers along the Idaho-Utah border at Bear River on Jan. 29, 1863, to the forced removal and incarceration of thousands of Navajo people in 1864 known as the Long Walk. In terms of sheer

The Indian Nations lost nearly half their land due to the Reconstruction treaties of 1866, which required the land lost to be used for resettlement of more Indian tribes. Indian populations within Indian Territory did not change much from 1865 to 1900, but the non- Indian populations soon outnumbered the Indian populations six to one (Baird and Goble, p 126). Lane – Pomeroy Plan pushed by the Kansas representatives, James Lane and Samuel Pomeroy, to pressure the Federal government to remove more Indians to Indian Territory (Baird and Goble, p 131). The Homesteading movement increased pressure to relocate Indians to Indian Territory to open up more lands in surrounding states for settlement. Upwards to 15,000 Indians were relocated to Indian Territory during the Second Trail of Tears (Baird and Goble, p 131). The increased diversity between Indian tribes and the growing non-Indian population created a tension for Indians to maintain control of Indian Territory, which grew worse as the territory edged closer to statehood.

In the early 1800’s, The United States and Spain had continuously argued with the Native people. The Louisiana Territory was purchased from France in the year 1803, Americans continued to push farther west for fertile land that could be used for farming. Due to overcrowding of eastern cities like New York City and Boston many settlers moved out west for a new start. It allowed for colonists to spread out and own untouched fertile land. When white settlers arrived they had realized that most of the land acquired from the territory was occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years. For decades Americans had thought that the land west of the Appalachian Mountains were unoccupied, but they were wrong. There were many tribes that had occupied this land. This included tribes like, The Choctaw, Cherokee, and The Chickasaw. In a sense, Americans had violent outbreaks with the Natives the minute the colonists’ had arrived in the United State. As the colonists’ tried to establish complete dominance and superiority over the Indians, ongoing heated debates over land ownership, and demanding requests to satisfy greed made forceful attacks between the groups unavoidable.

When first considering the Navajo-Hopi land dispute as a topic of research, I anticipated a relatively light research paper discussing the local skirmishes between the two tribes. However, my research has yielded innumerable volumes of facts, figures and varying viewpoints on a struggle that has dominated the two tribes for over 100 years. The story is an ever-changing one, evolving from local conflict to forcible relocation to big business interests. The incredible breadth of the dispute's history makes it impossible to objectively cover the entire progression from all viewpoints. I will therefore focus on current issues - and their historical causes - facing the two tribes as they mutually approach

Did you know, the bloodiest labor confrontation (The Everett Massacre) occurred in Washington state, on November 5th, 1916? Well, it’s true! That Sunday, a group called the Wobblies went on ships from Seattle, Washington to Everett, Washington. The biggest causes of the Everett Massacre are assumptions, fear, and most importantly, dissatisfaction.

Oklahoma was once referred to as the “Unassigned Lands” (Fugate,138). This land was land inside Indian Territory that had not been claimed by one of the tribes (Hoig). Whites believed they were entitled to this land and wanted to get the statement across that America is a “white man’s country” (Dorman, 38). Immediately after Benjamin Harrison, the United States of America’s president at the time, announced the land would be opened for settlement, people began gathering their belongings, loading their wagons, or preparing their horses for travel. Thousands of people crowded the borders of the Unassigned Lands in hopes of establishing a settlement in the area (Fugate,140). At noon on April 22, 1889, people dashed across the land with their belongings seeking a plot of land. The Oklahoma Land Run was an exciting, puzzling, and in some cases, a violent day in Oklahoma’s history.

​The nineteenth century marked a period of time of growth and development for the United States. During this time, the U.S. experienced important advances in science, technology, industrialization, and civil rights. This is also the time period where the U.S. began its expansion from east coast to west coast. This is known as the conquest of manifest destiny. Unfortunately, this destiny came at a price. The price paid for this was by the Native American people who were essentially forcibly moved off of their land for the achievement of this goal. A question arises as to whether this was justified and whether there were other ways in which these goals could have been achieved

Years of violence, forced removal to Indian Territory and forced religious indoctrination had failed to solve what the federal government referred to as “the Indian problem.”[6] the Native Americans may not have flourished in their new land, but they survived and would not go away. As a result, American policy shifted from

The Owen Valley California territory was once inhabited by the Paiutes people (an indigenous Native American group). When the Unites States acquired the California territory, expeditions were led across the state, and it was discovered by the white man that Owen Valley was a land of value. Government action (e.g. the Preemption and Homestead acts; government subsidies) encouraged western migration and expansion leading to the claim of most of the Owens Valley land. Similar to the guise of gentrification, the white man wanted to take primary control of the area for the sake of “a need for development”. The powerful Americans undermined the use values of the Paiute people, and threatened their quality of life and well-being. The Paiutes resisted unsuccessfully (they were no match for the powerful United States army assisting the white settlers), and through the familiar tactics of deception, coercion, force, and violence, the Paiute people were forced from their land, and the ones who remained were stratified, and forced to endure subpar living conditions and work standards.

The majority of the Lakota males did not sign this treaty and since the government did not keep their end of the bargain and broke treaty many times as it suited them, numerous battles were fought while they tried to keep their independence. Eventually the Lakota tried to live on the reservation and by the government’s guidelines, but without horses or guns, they could not hunt and the rations promised to them were either always late or didn’t show up at all. The Lakota were encouraged towards self-sufficiency by imposed farming, and the government did everything it could to

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee opens up factual accounts of the United States’ inhumanity and the contradiction of their proclamation of Natural Rights towards the Natives of North America. As government officials in Washington received reports of conflict from the “Chiricahua reservation, they saw this as an excellent excuse to move the Chiricahuas to San Carlos, … a gravelly flat [where] rain was so infrequent that it took on the semblance of a phenomenon when it came at all”(393). The continuous movement of Indian tribes from reservation to reservation by the American government without the consent of Native groups “confiscated” their rights to own property. By taking advantage of the American Indians’ lack of understanding of their political standpoint and Natural Rights, Native Americans were repeatedly forced off their land. The eviction of American Indian tribes often occurred when abundant resources were found on a reservation, as Americans scrambled to grab what they could, in the meantime pushing the Natives into intolerable living conditions without a second thought.

fights for natural resources to ownership of land titles, Arizona has shed tears of joy and