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Mr H · Site Admin Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 459

2. How important was the Battle of Little Big Horn in the destruction of the way of life of the Plains Indians? Explain your answer.

You could include the following in your answer and any other information of your own.

mudabbir · U for Unclassified Joined: 22 Jan 2007 Posts: 12

In 1868 a treaty was made with the indians that said that they had theri own land and no white man could come ' as long as the grass grew and the water flowed'. In the same year when general Cluster and the army where reinforcing this treaty they found gold in the black hills thus the gold rush began. Hundreds of miners travelled in search of gold. The goverment could not stop them.

Th indians were outraged at this as the treaty was broken and miners came to their sacred land. The indians started killing the miners. General cluster and the army were called in to protect the miners. the two cheifs of the souix tribes got together planned to trap Cluster at Little Big Horn or
'Greasy Grass". the sioux numbered 12,000 while the army only 250. all soliders were killed including cluster and his brother ben.

On hearing this news the goverment was shocked of their defeat. they started to raise money for one final attack on the indians.

it was while the sioux were doing the gohst dance that the army attacked and 250 women and childern were killed in this massacre. as this signalled the end of the indians the battle or rather the massacre was called wounded knee.

Mr H · Site Admin Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 459

star. · U for Unclassified Joined: 31 May 2007 Posts: 2

1876 was the Battle of Little Bighorn - the battle in which the Indians fought the Whites and won. However, they had won the battle, not the war.

After this shock defeat, the US government were put under more pressure to do something about the Indians. Therefore, I think the Battle Of Little Bighorn was important in the destruction in the way of life for the Plains Indians. After this battle, the government put all Indians in reservations, and Sitting Bull and Crazy House - the people responsible defeating the whites - were killed the next year. In 1887, the Dawes Act was put in place. This gave settlers 160 acre allotments, which completely destroyed the Indian tribes. This may not have been an effect of the battle.

However, the Indians way of life was already being destroyed before the Battle Of Little Bighorn took place. For example, by 1869, there were hardly any buffalo left because the whites were killing them all. In 1862, the Homestead Act gave the settlers 160 acres of land for free, which was extremely bad news for the Indians.

In conclusion, I think that the defeat made the Whites even more determined to get rid of the Indians forever, so therefore the battle was important. However, there are also many other factors which indicate that the Indians were going to die out anyway, e.g. the killing of buffalo and the white settlers. I feel that the Battle of Little Bighorn was important but not essential to the defeat of the Plains Indians.