American History Unit 2: Lesson 4 - The Plains Indian Wars

2) The Sioux would not stand by and watch the ___ be desecrated by miners.

Black Hills Early in the 18th century the Sioux had been moved from Minnesota into South Dakota. Some of the Sioux had come freely during the early 1700s and taken territory from other tribes, including the Cheyenne. The Sioux were a fierce and proud people with a long tradition. In 1876, their territory in South Dakota was threatened by construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad and by gold prospectors in the Black Hills. The Black Hills area was sacred to the Indians; they would not stand by and see it desecrated.

1) The Sioux had taken land in South Dakota from the ___.

Cheyenne Early in the 18th century the Sioux had been moved from Minnesota into South Dakota. Some of the Sioux had come freely during the early 1700s and taken territory from other tribes, including the Cheyenne. The Sioux were a fierce and proud people with a long tradition. In 1876, their territory in South Dakota was threatened by construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad and by gold prospectors in the Black Hills. The Black Hills area was sacred to the Indians; they would not stand by and see it desecrated.

9) The Sioux people turned to their ancient ways and performed the ___ in hopes of getting help from the spirits.

Ghost Dance By 1890, the Sioux people had become dispirited. They turned to their ancient ways for comfort and sought help from the spirit world. This seeking for help turned into a popular spiritualist movement called the Ghost Dance. The dancers believed that by performing the Ghost Dance, they could banish the white men from their lands, return to their homes, and become invincible.

3) The Great Sioux War of 1876 might better be called the ___.

Great Cheyenne War The Great Sioux War began in the late spring of 1876. Technically, this war was led by Cheyennes, and if Indians had written the history of the war, it would have been called the Great Cheyenne War. However, two of the most famous leaders of this war were Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, who were both Sioux.

7) The state not included in the Nez Perce reservation was ___.

Montana The Nez Perce Indians lived in the Pacific Northwest in the area of present-day states of Washington, Oregon, and Indiana. Review the Nez Perce section in Lesson 4.

10) The tragedy at ___ is viewed as the end of armed resistance by the Indians.

Wounded Knee As tensions continued to mount, the U.S. Army went to the Sioux reservation at Wounded Knee in South Dakota and attempted to disarm the tribe. A disturbance erupted between the troops and the Indians. When the fighting ended, as many as 200 of the Sioux, including women and children, had been killed. The tragedy at Wounded Knee is generally viewed as the end of armed resistance by American Indians.

11) The Dawes Act provided that ___.

all of these In 1887, the Dawes Act broke up Indian reservations and gave the land to the individual Indian families living on them. The Five Civilized Tribes of the eastern states were exempted from the provisions of this act. Each family was to receive 160 acres of land and each family was allowed to choose what land they wanted. Each child in a family would receive 40 acres, as well. Single persons would also receive 40 acres. If the Indians neglected or refused to make a selection, an agent would make a selection for them. The Indians were given deeds to their land, but they were prohibited from selling the land for a period of twenty-five years. All of the reservation lands that were not selected by the Indians were put up for sale to the general public. Thus, in one government act, a great amount of the Indians' lands was lost.

5) Crazy Horse died when ___.

he was bayoneted while resisting being placed in prison The victory at Little Bighorn led to an increase of U.S. Army forces in the area. Eventually, agency officials and army officials were able to convince Indian leaders at the agencies that the warring bands could not win. The agency Indians went to the warring bands and convinced them to surrender and report to the agencies. When Crazy Horse brought his people in, he was told he would be able to speak to the commander. When he was not allowed, he threatened to leave. During a struggle to escape, he was bayoneted by a guard. He died from these wounds.

8) The Nez Perce's Chief Joseph vowed ___.

never to fight again The Nez Perce fought valiantly and brilliantly, but the army outnumbered them and eventually forced their surrender. Chief Joseph would become an eloquent spokesperson for his tribe's interests. At his surrender, he made a stirring speech. In his speech, he stated, "I will fight no more forever."

6) In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that ___.

the U.S. occupation of the Black Hills was illegal The Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians (1980) that the U.S. occupation of these lands is illegal and that the U.S. pay the Sioux nations for the lands. However, the Sioux have refused to take the money, wanting to regain control of the lands and force whites to withdraw from the area. The money remains in an interest-bearing account to this day.

4) The battle at Little Bighorn ___.

was lost because General Custer showed poor judgment and was outnumbered The most famous event of the Great Sioux War of 1876 occurred at Little Bighorn in southeastern Montana. George Armstrong Custer, underestimating the fighting capability of the Cheyenne and 2,500 Lakota warriors, led several companies of the 7th Cavalry into a trap near Little Bighorn River. Outnumbered, his entire command of 210 men was wiped out. The victory at Little Bighorn led to an increase of U.S. Army forces in the area.