The American West, c1835-c1895: Conflicts and Conquest of the Later Period, 1876-1895
Conflicts and conquest in the American West between 1876 and 1895 mark the final, decisive phase of the wars between the US government and the Plains Indians.
Before you start
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Method
- Learn the causes of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876): gold had been discovered in the Black Hills, land recognised as part of the Great Sioux Reservation by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, and the US government's attempt to force its sale led Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne bands, led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, to resist.
- Learn the outcome and significance of Little Bighorn: Custer's force was destroyed, a major short-term victory for the Lakota and Cheyenne, but it increased US government determination to defeat Plains Indian resistance permanently rather than negotiate.
- Learn the Dawes Act of 1887 precisely: it aimed to assimilate Plains Indians by allotting individual plots of reservation land to families, and selling remaining 'surplus' land to white settlers, which broke up the communal landholding that Plains Indian society had traditionally relied on.
- Learn the events at Wounded Knee (29 December 1890): rising fear among US authorities about the Ghost Dance movement led to the death of the Lakota leader Sitting Bull and, soon after, to US 7th Cavalry troops killing a large number of Lakota Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek.
- For 'explain the importance of X' questions, be ready to explain importance for more than one target, e.g. the importance of the Dawes Act for the reservation system, or its importance for the US government's assimilation policy, since these are different angles on the same event.
- Write about these events with care: state what each side believed it was doing (the Lakota and Cheyenne defending recognised treaty land at Little Bighorn; US authorities framing later policy as 'civilising' Plains Indians) without presenting either side's actions as simply inevitable or without cause.
Worked example
Explain two of the following: the importance of EACH of these for the Plains Indians. (i) The Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876 (ii) The Dawes Act, 1887 (iii) Wounded Knee, 1890
- Choose two of the three options confidently rather than attempting all three; here, (i) the Battle of the Little Bighorn and (ii) the Dawes Act.
- For the Battle of the Little Bighorn: state the importance directly, e.g. it was the greatest short-term Plains Indian military victory of the wars, destroying Custer's force after the US government tried to force the sale of the Black Hills.
- Add a linked consequence for full marks: the victory was important less for its military effect and more because it hardened US government policy, leading to a sustained campaign that broke remaining armed resistance within a few years.
- For the Dawes Act, 1887: state the importance directly, e.g. it was important because it deliberately broke up reservations into individual family plots, undermining the communal landholding that Plains Indian society depended on, and let the government sell 'surplus' reservation land to white settlers, reducing Plains Indian landholding still further.
Practice questions
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Q1In what year was the Battle of the Little Bighorn fought?Show answer
Answer: 1876.
Q2Name the two Lakota and Cheyenne leaders most associated with the Plains Indian victory at the Little Bighorn.Show answer
Answer: Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull.
Q3Which US officer's force was destroyed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn?Show answer
Answer: Lieutenant Colonel George Custer.
Q4What did the Dawes Act of 1887 do to reservation land?Show answer
Answer: It allotted individual plots of reservation land to Plains Indian families and allowed the government to sell remaining 'surplus' land to white settlers.
Q5What spiritual movement caused rising tension shortly before the events at Wounded Knee in 1890?Show answer
Answer: The Ghost Dance movement.
Q6On what date in 1890 did US troops kill a large number of Lakota Sioux men, women and children at Wounded Knee?Show answer
Answer: 29 December 1890.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two of the following: the importance of EACH for the outcome of conflict between Plains Indians and the US government. (i) The Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1876 (ii) The Dawes Act, 1887 (iii) Wounded Knee, 1890
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Write a narrative account analysing how conflict between the Lakota Sioux and the US government developed between 1874 and 1890. You may use the following in your account: the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee. You must also use information of your own.
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