As the school year comes to a close, we prepare for the last few days of class, and the impending final exams. Even though our history class is paperless, we are no exception to the final exam. However, that doesn't mean that we can't make it new and interesting. For the final, we are allowed to draft our own questions based on research done in class on various topics. The latest question topic is Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans. As a class, we first had to thoroughly research Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans before writing the questions, through the resources provided by our teacher. We watched various videos on ABC Clio databases on the lives of Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans. Then, we looked at primary source documents and images such as, Helen Hunt Jackson: a century of dishonor(1881), the Dawes act(1887), and the Federal Native American Policies visual. While analyzing the videos, documents, and images, our class split up into groups and took notes on the essential terms, key people, important events, and the main idea in a Google Document shared with the class. Based on the research, we then had to form an opinion on wear or not the government had good intentions when enacting policies for westward expansions. And in what ways did these policies impact the Natives and Buffalo soldiers?
In the year 1830, the United States of America is still in its infancy. States are still being formed, and no one has expanded west of the Mississippi river. In order to grow into the vast country we know today, these lands need to be occupied. So, on May 28, 1830, the Indian removal act was passed by congress during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. The law authorized the president to negotiate with Indian tribes in the southern united states for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their ancestral homelands. These tribes included the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, Sioux, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, and the Oglala. Well, these tribes were not going to leave their home and be corralled like farm animals into reservations just because some president asked them nicely. In the 1840's, the California gold rush brought many prospectors flooding into the west. Conflicts between the prospectors and Natives led to massacres, wars, and prejudice towards tribes. After the Indian removal act have little effect, the government used these conflicts between settlers and natives as an opportunity to take aggressive actions. Congress created six regiments of African american soldiers left over from the civil war. Four infantry, and two cavalry, approximately 1000 men each who come to be known as buffalo soldiers. Deployed to fight back against the native tribes, these regiments were involved in at least 117 of 138 campaigns fought against the Indians on the western frontier. Also taken from the civil war, was total war. After the effect of total war at the end of the civil war, the government decided to use it to wipe out the Indians. It began with the extermination of buffalo, the main source of food and clothing for the tribes, and the killing of their horses that natives use for transportation. The Second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 promised Indians possession of the Dakota territory west of the Mississippi river if they promised to stop fighting. Red Cloud leads many of his people onto the new reservation. Crazy horse and Sitting bull refuse to go. In 1876, confrontations come to a head at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Crazy horse surrounded General Custer with 5000 Sioux and Cheyenne Indians, killing Custer and letting few men escape. This caused the government to flood the area with national troops. Beginning in June 1877, 600 members of the nez perce tribe, seeking to escape the united states army, traveled 1,600 miles in an attempt to reach Canada. Along their march, the nez perce were constantly being hunted and chased down by the U.S. army. At the final holdout at Bear Paw Mountain, the nez perce were forced to stop and agreed to relocate, only 40 miles from the Canadian border and freedom. Only 400 survivors made it to the reservation. After many years and many battles, conflict still remained. However, the conflict came to an end at the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. More the 150 Sioux Indians were slaughtered, effectively ending Indian resistance to white culture. Although the government had good intentions when enacting policies for westward expansion, these policies greatly impacted the lives of Native Americans. The Natives were made a target of prejudice, stripped of their homes and culture, and killed by the hundreds.
The following image shows a timeline
of major events regarding Native
conflicts. Citation.
On September 21, 1866, Andrew Jackson created six regiments of African american soldiers, called Buffalo soldiers. These men were sent west to fight back against the eruption of native american violence. These regiments of buffalo soldiers were involved in at least 117 of 138 campaigns fought against the Indians on the western frontier. These men were soldiers left over from the civil war, originally members of the U.S. 10th cavalry. Due to continuing conflict in the west, buffalo soldiers had to remain stationed there. When they were not fighting Native americans, buffalo soldiers were given the jobs of laying down telephone lines, mapping unknown territory, and constructing buildings. The buffalo soldiers were more used as a labor force than an army. Also, the government supplied them with poor resources. They were given horses that were fit to be slaughtered, and weapons left over from the civil war. Even though their work did not sound like much, it was all they had. Most blacks did not have any jobs to go back to after the civil war. The policies of westward expansions greatly impacted the lives of buffalo soldiers. The government gave buffalo soldiers the dirty work the whites did not want to do, sent them to the places that no one wanted to go, gave them the resources that no one wanted to have, and were used as a labor force.
Buffalo soldiers are shown together
on the job. Citation.
In modern day, many of the conflicts between Native americans, the governments violent extermination, and the lives of buffalo soldiers are ignored, but not forgotten. The effects of these events are still visible today. Indians are still surrounded with prejudice and stereotypes, and are forced to live on reservations. Even on reservations, many are poor without a dollar to their name. Natives are among the poorest people in the United States. Due to this poverty, many Native americans on reservations turn to alcohol. This forms a vicious cycle where natives spend the very little money they have on alcohol, and form alcohol dependencies due to depression, and cannot find jobs. Also, the effects of buffalo soldiers are still seen today. African americans are now playing key roles in the U.S. armed forces with highly respected ranks. The president of the United States is even an African american. However, in some parts of the country, blacks are still being discriminated against, and conflicts have tuned violent.
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