Indian removal and Buffalo soldiers

           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.

Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller: robber barons or captains of industry?

           For the past 3 days, the focus of class has been the business ventures and tactics of Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller. The essential question we formed for the lesson is, Should Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller be classified as robber barons or captains of industry? A "robber baron" is a powerful, corrupt businessman who destroyed or bought out rival businesses, treated workers poorly, bribed government officials, and hired personal armies in order to gain personal wealth. A"captain of industry" is a powerful businessman who is the leader of a specific industry and affects the community positively. In order to learn more about Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller, we began a series of step by step assignments. First, our amazingly innovative teacher, Mrs. Gallagher, introduced the class to a four day plan about what we should be accomplishing each day. The purpose of the project is to form 40 questions on the topic to be used for the final exam. Then, we divided ourselves into four groups, key people, main ideas, important events, and essential terms. We then passed created a class wide google document to compile all of the information we collect in. Next, we watched an in depth video on the business tactics of Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller. While watching, each group was responsible for taking notes on their topic and typing a summary of the notes into the google document. After all of the information was collected and analyzed, we had a discussion as a class where each group proposed an essential question that could be used to represent the lesson.

           Based on the information we collected as a class, Andrew Carnegie and John D Rockefeller should be classified as robber barons. During their rein of industry, both Carnegie and Rockefeller employed many corrupt tactics in order to gain advantage or personal wealth. In 1856, while trying to jump start his newly formed steel business in America, Andrew Carnegie committed many underhanded acts. "In this way, he was able to produce a higher quality steel at a lower price than his American competitors. He also kept production costs, wages, and salaries down and maintained complete control over his enterprise, in order to plow profits back into it."(McGuire, William, and Leslie Wheeler. "Andrew Carnegie." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015). In order to get his company's wheel's in motion and dominate rival businesses, Carnegie purposely kept wages and salaries of workers low. This selfish act takes money away from workers for Carnegie own personal wealth. In 1892, Andrew Carnegie was again under the public eye during the Homestead strike. " Four years later, however, Carnegie's reputation as an employer was damaged by the bloody Homestead strike at the plant. The strike, which began on June 29, 1892, revealed Carnegie's plans to destroy the iron and steel workers' union, and the event raised a public outcry."(McGuire, William, and Leslie Wheeler. "Andrew Carnegie." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015). In response to Carnegie's plot to destroy the union and threats of wage decreases, members of the iron and steel workers union began to strike. In many cases it became violent and often bloody. This was a direct result of Carnegie willing to destroy the union for his own personal gain. In 1882, under public scrutiny regarding the trust with standard oil, John D Rockefeller was accused of using underhanded business tactics. "Many suspected that Rockefeller and his associates had used illegal tactics and immoral business practices. Although Rockefeller paid fair market value for many companies he acquired, he drove others into submission through cutthroat attacks, such as selling oil at a loss and then, after the competitor collapsed, driving up prices. He was also directly involved in bribing politiciansóone observer commented that Standard Oil had done everything with the Pennsylvania legislature except refine it."(McGuire, William, and Leslie Wheeler. "John D. Rockefeller." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 31 May 2015). By attacking other by choking them out of the industry, and bribing government officials John D Rockefeller destroyed rival businesses and gained advantage using illegal tactics and immoral business practices. Carnegie and Rockefeller employed corrupt tactics to gain advantage or personal wealth, and should be classified as robber barons.

One the left, Andrew Carnegie is shown reducing wages. On the right side, he is 

shown giving back to the community.(Forty-Millionaire Carnegie in his Great Double Role," The Saturday Globe, 9 July 1892; from David P. Demares)

           In modern day, we do not hear much about robber barons. Mainly because in the early 19th century these business tactics used by Carnegie and Rockefeller were unheard of, but today they are common practices. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is an example of a modern day robber baron. Google admitted that it "used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises to consumers."( "Google 21st Century Robber Baron." Forbes. Forbes Magazine. Web. 5 June 2015.). This happened under Eric Schmidt's watch and knew that this was happening. Googles rap sheet is extensive and doesn't and there, and the same for many other well known companies that we are all familiar with. Another example of a modern day robber baron is Sepp Blatter and FIFA. FIFA was accused of unfair agreements with officials regarding money. News of robber barons and corrupt companies are not popular news today because it is so common, and most people are used to it.