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The Struggle Of Native Americans In The 1920's

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The American Indian Wars were ongoing from the earliest settlements of the 17th century, all the way through the 1920’s. As American settlers began to move further west, more and more clashes erupted as the clash of two different cultures, and lack of empathy for one another fueled hatred and resentment on both sides.
From the colonial period through the mid 1800’s many Native tribes aligned with European nations that were still fighting for control over the new world. Native Americans were used as insurgent forces to harass settlers, instill fear and undermine the government of the United States.
As conflicts increased in both size and intensity, the U.S. government implemented a strategy to remove Native Americans from their lands and …show more content…

The Lakota, part of the Great Souix Nation, had come to control the Powder River basin, formerly controlled by the Crow. The area was a generally used as buffalo hunting grounds for Native tribes, but as the Buffalo population dwindled, those hunting grounds needed to expand to follow the natural migration of the Buffalo. The extension led to conflicts between settlers who were traversing west and used established trails leading to Oregon and the gold deposits in the further west. This intersecting expansion by both cultures resulted in tension and ongoing skirmishes, including raids and attacks on U.S. Army forts for 2 years. The U.S Government established the Indian Peace Commission which led to negotiations to end hostilities between the Lakota and the U.S. Army. Red Cloud’s War was ended in 1868 with the Treaty of Fort …show more content…

After the discovery of gold in the Black Hills and the resulting expansion into Native lands by settlers, tensions boiled over once again. The Great Souix Nation viewed the encroachment as the U.S. Government violating the treaty. The U.S. Government attempted to re-negotiate the Treaty of Fort Laramie, with the ultimate goal of regaining control of the Black Hills. These negotiations failed but miners were still pouring into the Black Hills. To control the Great Souix Nation and force peace between the U.S. Government and the Native Americans, the U.S. Government ordered that all bands of the Great Souix Nation would return to the boundaries of the reservation from the hunting lands. Those bands of the Great Souix Nation that did not comply would then be considered hostile and the U.S. Army would be sent to force compliance. The Black Hills War began in February 8th 1876 when General Crook and General Terry were ordered to commence campaigns against the newly declared hostile Native Americans who had not returned to the Great Souix Nation Reservation boundaries.
Leaders
Major General George Crook was the in charge of the Department of the Platte headquartered in Omaha Nebraska. The Department of the Platte was an administrative district which included the Dakota territory.
Major General Alfred Terry was the commander of the Dakota territory during the Black

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