Native American Resistance and U.S. Expansion

Overview

This lecture provides an overview of the struggle between Native American tribes and the U.S. government in the late 1800s, highlighting the resistance of the Lakota and Nez Perce peoples and the government's efforts to control the West.

Expansion of the American West

• By 1874, millions of settlers moved west due to the expansion of railroads.
• The federal government increased its efforts to control the western territories.
• Policies targeted both settler groups like the Mormons and indigenous populations.

Conflict with Native Americans

• The U.S. Army forced most tribes onto reservations, making them reliant on inconsistent government rations.
• Some Native bands resisted removal and continued to live freely despite mounting pressure.
• Reservation life was often harsh due to indifferent or neglectful government agents.

Lakota and Nez Perce Resistance

• A Lakota medicine man led a significant resistance and achieved the greatest Indian wars victory.
• Despite initial successes, the Lakota ultimately faced devastating retaliation from the U.S. government.
• A Nez Perce chief, known for seeking peace, led his people in a remarkable military campaign.

The U.S. Military Response

• The government assembled an army including immigrants, fugitives, and social outcasts.
• Leadership included a young Civil War hero drawn by a sense of invincibility.
• The military confronted Native forces whose determination matched or exceeded their own.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Reservation — Areas designated by the U.S. government for Native Americans to inhabit, often under restrictive conditions.
• Rations — Supplies, usually food or essentials, allocated by the government to people living on reservations.
• Lakota — A Native American people, also known as Sioux, central to the Plains resistance.
• Nez Perce — A Native American tribe of the Pacific Northwest, led notable resistance against forced relocation.
• Medicine man — A spiritual leader and healer within many Native American cultures.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review case studies of the Lakota and Nez Perce resistance.
• Prepare notes on factors leading to the decline of Native autonomy post-1874.
• Read assigned materials on the Indian Wars and policies toward Native Americans.