Summary Of Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

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.

Besides seizing land from the Native Americans, the United States government also disrupted Indians’ cultures, through the process of assimilation. With legislation, especially the Dawes Act, Native American children were sent to boarding schools with the goal to “kill the Indian and save the child” (Bear). In the movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, the main character, Ohiyesa travels to a school, with a mission to teach the Natives the ways of the white man. In one scene, Ohiyesa’s teacher refuses to call on him unless he selects a white name from a book. Only when Ohiyesa takes the first step towards assimilation or chooses a Christian name will his teacher acknowledge him.

The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Massacre at Wounded Knee were both significant and terrible events that took place in American history during the 1800’s. These two eyewitness documents provide information and details about two important Indian battles against American troops. These events occurred 14 years apart but both were the result of the Sioux Indians being unsatisfied with their freedom taken from them.

President Harrison’s intended message in his “Report on Wounded Knee Massacre and the Decrease in Indian Land Acreage” is to ensure the people that the massacre was a self-defense act by the soldiers. He said that the natives were “naturally warlike and turbulent” which puts the blame on the massacre on the Natives. Modern American’s can learn a lot from the Wounded Knee Massacre. To Americans, the massacre represents the end of the Indian resistance. Although this massacre is usually not mentioned in history classes today is it defiantly something that should be remembered. American soldiers were violent towards the Indians. While men were trying to flee the American soldiers would shoot them in the back and let their bodies there to freeze.

Native Americans admittedly, did surprisingly little in the initial two thirds of the period, despite the Plains Wars and other small-localized armed resistance during the nineteenth century; the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1889 effectively marked the end to such resistance. Whilst it can be argued that their efforts were at best lukewarm during the beginning, in the closing third of the period, the Native Americana ‘movement’, galvanized by the African American civil rights campaign and revolutionary zeitgeist became increasingly active and forceful in the advancement of their civil rights. Thus the

Brown mainly relies on historical research while writing the manuscript for “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”. He studied personal descriptions, historical documents, and town council records to create a historically accurate account on how Americans conquered the West. While writing this book, Brown mainly writes about the events of the “Indian Wars”, which occurred during 1860’s through the 1890’s.

One event brought death to over 225 Sioux Indians on December 29, 1890. The Sioux Indians were fighting against themselves until Wovoka created the Ghost Dance Ritual, which is for the peace of the Indians. Due to the frequent use of the rituals the Americans thought of it as a sign of hostility causing the Ghost Dance Wars. The Ghost Dance Wars caused the death of Sitting Bull which did lead to the start and finish of Wounded Knee Battle. The Battle of Wounded Knee lead to the end of the war, starting violence against the Indians, but lead to the Indians rights to return. The Battle of Wounded Knee, a horrific battle, ended The Ghost Dance Wars, and brought up A.I.M which helped the Sioux tribes gain their rights.

Indian men, women, and children. This kind of neglect is what led to the Battle of Little Bighorn Creek, a battle that is talked about in The Great Plains, the book I chose my topic from. The reason this subject touched me personally is because almost everyone who presently lives on the Great Plains has a certain percentage Indian blood running through their veins, including myself. The neglect of the Native American Indian in America has been a problem for generations, but it is a part

Many were driven from their homes to reservations, or forced to bend a knee to the "white man 's" ways. One tribe, the Cherokee, was compelled to leave their lands in Oklahoma by the United States Government. Compelled to march with the provisions and belongings they could carry upon their back or horse, many died of exposure, starvation, or disease. (Trail) This event came to be known as “The Trail of Tears”. These people were forced from their lands, homes, worship sites, and ancestral burial grounds in the name of progress. Foreign progress, to them, if I may add. They, at their core, did not care that Continental America was flourishing. They only wanted to be left alone in their ancestral homeland. Now, in their eyes, they were being persecuted for their faith and culture. One group of Sioux stood up against the tide of imperialism. They were victorious at the Battle of Little Bighorn, but were defeated at the massacre of Wounded Knee. Wounded Knee was the final major conflict that put the majority of the Native Americans in their “place”. The Sioux under Big Foot were ordered to give up their fire arms. They responded with a reply, saying they had none. The medicine man began to dance the “Ghost Dance” frantically, while wearing paint. The soldiers, fearing an outbreak of violence was about to occur, opened fire. When the haze of smoke had cleared, the bodies of men,

Alabama, known as the “Heart of Dixie” or “The Cotton State,” joined the union as the 22nd state in the year of 1819 of December. This state is located in the southern part of the United States and its capital is Montgomery. During the 16th century, Europeans reached the Alabama area and about 10,000 years ago, American Indians was engaged in the area. Alabama got its name after the Alabama River. An Indian tribe lived in the territory around 1540 and spelled it as “Alibamo.” The origin of the name Alabama is thought to come from a combination of two Choctaw words; Alba and Amo. In Choctaw, "Alba" means vegetation, herbs, plants and "Amo" means gatherer or picker. "Vegetation gatherers" would be an apt description for the Alabama Indians who

“What have the ‘hostiles done? It seems to be so far a white man’s war” (Qtd. in Hines 30). The Indians that were killed at Wounded Knee committed no crime on their reservation in the time before the battle (Hines 36), they only practiced religion. The Ghost Dance movement resulted in a massacre at Wounded Knee which had a lasting impact on many people.

Doctor Gerald Vizenor wrote an article called,” Dennis of Wounded Knee” which gives an insight to how the actions of Dennis Banks and Russell Means shaped Native American history. Dr. Vizenor describes and goes into detail on how Banks helped the AIM achieve success in his lifetime. He assessed the actions of both Banks and Means in their time in the AIM. For example, Dr. Vizenor

The book Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee was written by Dee Brown. Dee Brown wrote a handful of books and the central theme around those books were tales of Native Americans and civil war stories. He spent a long time studying different tribes all around the United States. He has brought out the voice of the Native Americans which was muffled and silenced by the army and government. This book brought much awareness to a cause many had forgotten about, and to the shock of many when they realized he was not a Native American. Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee tells the stories of many Native American tribes and their hardships when facing the government, army, and settlers. While reading this book, I came to quite a shock. I learned the point of view that was hidden in history books, the loss instead of the win, and the sadness felt throughout the book that made it unpleasant to read. I believe this book has brought to light the mistreatment of Native Americans in the past, the main hardships including countless false treaties, harsh treatments from the settlers, and the unjust massacres. I found this book to be quite a difficult read but incredibly worth it. It is written in such a manner that you feel immersed, you feel the all the emotions and imagine how everything came to be. It is figurative, but also incredibly factual. In the beginning of almost every chapter, before the actual start, there is small paragraph with the year and the events in that following year, a quote, or

The Sand Creek massacre, known as “Chivington massacre,” that began on November 29, 1864, in Colorado Territory. This massacre, was stricken by a Colorado U.S Volunteer Cavalry led by John M. Chivington, attacked and easily destroyed a village of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The Native Americans death totaled in an estimate of 70-160 deaths. Mostly, it was women and children who took part of these casualties. As the people wonder, why all of this just for a piece of the Great Plains of the Eastern Colorado. As the west wins, a step closer to Manifest

The most famous battle of this time is The Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Battle of the Little Big Horn was fought between the Sioux and the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry. This battle famously serves as a symbol of clash between the “civilized” men of the United States and the “barbarian” Indian men of the West. The battle ended with and upsetting loss for the United States and a miraculous victory for the Sioux (Battle of the Little Bighorn). But what is often forgotten from this battle in history is that it was not just the 7th Regiment of the U.S. Cavalry fighting the Sioux it was also the Crow, Arikaras, Shoshones, and Pawnees—all fellow Native American