Relocation of Native Americans (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Timeline

1851: Indian Appropriations Act

1851: Treaty of Fort Laramie

1868: Treaty of Fort Laramie (revised)

1874-75: Discovery of gold in the black hills

1876: Sioux Wars & Battle of Little Bighorn

1887: Dawes Act (General Allotment Act)

1890: Ghost Dance Movement

1890: Battle of Wounded Knee

As American settlers and immigrants filled the West, Indigenous peoples of the region faced increasing pressure as it was becoming more difficult to preserve their lands, culture, and ways of life. 

The expansion of railroads led to significant changes in the lives of Indigenous people. As the U.S. government aimed to control and relocate Indigenous people, the forced transition to reservations became a critical aspect of their experience during this time.

Native American Reservation System

Reservation System

• The reservation system was a federal policy designed to control and relocate Indigenous populations onto specific, designated areas of land

• This system was implemented as settlers expanded westward

• Westward expansion had an impact on Indigenous peoples’ lives

  • Bison herds were a key food source for Indigenous communities

  • The herds were wiped out due to

    • overhunting by settlers for hides and sport 

    • intentional efforts to undermine Indigenous self-sufficiency

  • This led to starvation and dependence on government provisions amongst the Indigenous population

  • Government policy was aimed at weakening Indigenous people’s self-sufficiency

    • Forcing many tribes to rely on government rations, and ending their independence

• The Indian Appropriations Act (1851) marked the official creation of reservations

  • Reservations were land specifically set aside for Indigenous populations, who were confined there

  • Reservations were intended to:

    • limit the movement of tribes, preventing their nomadic way of life

    • separate tribes and White settlers to avoid conflicts

    • assimilate Indigenous peoples into White culture through changes in their clothing, language, and education

  • Reservation land was owned by the tribe, not individuals

Resistance to the Reservation System

• The creation of reservations led to key conflicts and movements

Sioux Wars (1876–77) 

• Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) was signed with several tribes, including the Sioux, to establish boundaries for tribal lands

  • The treaty aimed to promote peace between Indigenous people and settlers

  • The US government failed to honor the treaty which led to later conflicts

• The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) established a Sioux reservation in the Black Hills

  • However, wars were triggered by the discovery of gold on Indigenous lands in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory  (1874−1875)

  • This led to an increase of miners and settlers on Sioux lands

  • This resulted in violent confrontations between Indigenous tribes and federal troops

• A series of conflicts between the US Army and the Sioux nation, including the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)

  • This was sparked by the government’s desire to take the Black Hills land back

• The Sioux wars ended in the defeat of the Sioux

  • They were eventually forced onto reservations

Ghost Dance Movement (1890)

• The Ghost Dance Movement was a religious movement among Plains tribes, particularly the Lakota Sioux

  • It is believed to recall dead ancestors to rid the land of settlers and reclaim culture

• The movement led to tensions with federal forces due to fears of uprisings between the government and Indigenous people 

Battle of Wounded Knee (1890)

• The Battle of Wounded Knee was a massacre marking the end of major Indigenous resistance in the Plains

• Federal troops killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux, many of whom were women and children, during a religious gathering

• This was the last significant conflict between federal forces and Indigenous people in the West 

Dawes Act of 1887

• The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act, aimed to dissolve tribal land ownership and assimilate Indigenous peoples further

• The key features of the Act were that:

  • it divided the reservation lands into allotments to be sold to individual Indigenous people

  • excess land was sold to settlers, leading to a significant loss of tribal land

  • Indigenous people who accepted land allotments and adopted European-American farming practices and culture could then become US citizens

• The impact of the Act was that it:

  • undermined tribal unity and communal land ownership

  • resulted in significant loss of Indigenous lands to settlers

  • increased Indigenous people’s dependence on the federal government