Over the course of time, “there have been over 500 treaties with American Indian tribes, primarily to cease their land, but those 500 treaties were also broken, changed or nullified when it served the government’s interests.”[1] The tragedy at Wounded Knee left many Native Americans uncertain and doubtful of the American government. The U.S. had made yet another empty promise about reserving a large portion of land solely for the Native’s use. The Battle of Wounded Knee Massacre was, in fact, one of a myriad of accounts where the Native Americans were essentially compelled by the U.S. government. Moreover, there have been significant historical events that show the mistreatment that Native Americans faced such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and the Transcontinental Railroad.
One of the primary examples of discrimination towards the indigenous people occurred during the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The treaty was passed after a series of legal battles between the Cherokee Nation and the state of Georgia had occurred. The Native Americans tried a civilized way of fighting for their land by taking their issues to the Supreme Court. The Indians failed in winning the support of the judiciary in the case of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled Indian tribes as “domestic dependent nations” and that the federal government, not the state of Georgia, had the jurisdiction over the Native American tribes.[2] Treaties are generally made between two independent sovereign nations and the Supreme Court’s ruling which labeled the Indians as a dependent nation justified the U.S. government’s unreliable promises. This ruling more importantly gave President Andrew Jackson the legal means to express his prejudice against the Natives when he passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.[3] The massive removal of Native Americans from their homeland was known as the Trail of Tears which was a long journey to a new territory. Thousands of innocent Indians died during their vigorous travels and many more suffered the shame of losing their sacred land. Sadly, the U.S. judicial system did nothing to preserve the lands the Natives had owned previously especially since more whites wanted to expand and occupy their territory. 3
The second example of injustice towards the Native Americans happened when the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 marked the boundaries of the Lakota Nation in South Dakota where the Plains Indians had been relocated to. The U.S. included the Black Hills as part of the territory owned by the Sioux tribe. The U.S. declared in the treaty, “the United States desires peace, and its honor is hereby pledged to keep it.” The U.S. government made the promise to protect the Lakota Nation and had also closed off the territory to white people. The protective attitude of the U.S. changed once gold was discovered in the Black Hills. The news spread rapidly and soon miners rushed to the Lakota Nation illegally. Miners had trespassed on the Sioux hunting grounds and asked for the U.S. army to march in the area to ensure their safety. The United States failed to keep their end of the bargain with the Natives causing the Sioux and some Cheyenne Indians to band together to fight off American citizens from the land.[4]
The third example of hatred towards the Indian tribes was the issue regarding the Transcontinental Railroad. White settlers unfairly and forcibly stole land from Native American tribes to use for the building of the railroad. The United States offered no recompense to the Natives for their stolen territories. Treaties made for the indigenous people of the area were essentially overlooked. The Indians’ right to their home was being violated so they constantly raided railroad construction. These raids would continue and grow worse until militias were called out to diminish the violent attacks. Similarly in Wounded Knee, the Native Americans were too weak to fend against the white’s superior manpower. The whites themselves knew the capacity of their strength and would take advantage to steal more land from the Natives.
The Wounded Knee Massacre is the final war between the Native Americans and the United States. The multiple broken treaties led up to the inevitable outcome that the Natives were incapable of preserving their lands. Wounded Knee also signified the unreliability of the United States government because of the countless promises they broke. The U.S. has remained virtually unaffected by the defective treaties but the Native Americans’ way of life has changed drastically.
[1] Helen Oliff, “Treaties Made, Treaties Broken,” National Relief Charities Blog Accessed February 17, 2014, https://bbcsulb.desire2learn.com/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=229959&tId=2191692, paragraph 2
[2] “Rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court As They Affect the Powers and Authorities of the Indian Tribal Governments” Senate Hearings (2002). Accessed February 16, 2014 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-107shrg78250/html/CHRG-107shrg78250.htm
[3] Ellen Pearson, “A Trail of 4,000 Tears” Accessed February 16, 2014 http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/25652 paragraph 2.
3 paragraph 4
[4] Fort Laramie Treaty 1868, Accessed February 17, 2014 http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/ftlaram.htm
One of the primary examples of discrimination towards the indigenous people occurred during the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The treaty was passed after a series of legal battles between the Cherokee Nation and the state of Georgia had occurred. The Native Americans tried a civilized way of fighting for their land by taking their issues to the Supreme Court. The Indians failed in winning the support of the judiciary in the case of Cherokee Nation v. Georgia. Chief Justice John Marshall ruled Indian tribes as “domestic dependent nations” and that the federal government, not the state of Georgia, had the jurisdiction over the Native American tribes.[2] Treaties are generally made between two independent sovereign nations and the Supreme Court’s ruling which labeled the Indians as a dependent nation justified the U.S. government’s unreliable promises. This ruling more importantly gave President Andrew Jackson the legal means to express his prejudice against the Natives when he passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.[3] The massive removal of Native Americans from their homeland was known as the Trail of Tears which was a long journey to a new territory. Thousands of innocent Indians died during their vigorous travels and many more suffered the shame of losing their sacred land. Sadly, the U.S. judicial system did nothing to preserve the lands the Natives had owned previously especially since more whites wanted to expand and occupy their territory. 3
The second example of injustice towards the Native Americans happened when the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 marked the boundaries of the Lakota Nation in South Dakota where the Plains Indians had been relocated to. The U.S. included the Black Hills as part of the territory owned by the Sioux tribe. The U.S. declared in the treaty, “the United States desires peace, and its honor is hereby pledged to keep it.” The U.S. government made the promise to protect the Lakota Nation and had also closed off the territory to white people. The protective attitude of the U.S. changed once gold was discovered in the Black Hills. The news spread rapidly and soon miners rushed to the Lakota Nation illegally. Miners had trespassed on the Sioux hunting grounds and asked for the U.S. army to march in the area to ensure their safety. The United States failed to keep their end of the bargain with the Natives causing the Sioux and some Cheyenne Indians to band together to fight off American citizens from the land.[4]
The third example of hatred towards the Indian tribes was the issue regarding the Transcontinental Railroad. White settlers unfairly and forcibly stole land from Native American tribes to use for the building of the railroad. The United States offered no recompense to the Natives for their stolen territories. Treaties made for the indigenous people of the area were essentially overlooked. The Indians’ right to their home was being violated so they constantly raided railroad construction. These raids would continue and grow worse until militias were called out to diminish the violent attacks. Similarly in Wounded Knee, the Native Americans were too weak to fend against the white’s superior manpower. The whites themselves knew the capacity of their strength and would take advantage to steal more land from the Natives.
The Wounded Knee Massacre is the final war between the Native Americans and the United States. The multiple broken treaties led up to the inevitable outcome that the Natives were incapable of preserving their lands. Wounded Knee also signified the unreliability of the United States government because of the countless promises they broke. The U.S. has remained virtually unaffected by the defective treaties but the Native Americans’ way of life has changed drastically.
[1] Helen Oliff, “Treaties Made, Treaties Broken,” National Relief Charities Blog Accessed February 17, 2014, https://bbcsulb.desire2learn.com/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=229959&tId=2191692, paragraph 2
[2] “Rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court As They Affect the Powers and Authorities of the Indian Tribal Governments” Senate Hearings (2002). Accessed February 16, 2014 http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-107shrg78250/html/CHRG-107shrg78250.htm
[3] Ellen Pearson, “A Trail of 4,000 Tears” Accessed February 16, 2014 http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/25652 paragraph 2.
3 paragraph 4
[4] Fort Laramie Treaty 1868, Accessed February 17, 2014 http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/four/ftlaram.htm