Nez Perce War Research Paper

The first big battle was called Powder River. On June 25, 1876 the American army was trying to round up all the northern Cheyenne and the Lakota tribes and try to put them on a reservation. This leads to a battle which the army commander was killed who was Lt. col. George Custer. This made the Americans outraged. Five months after the battle the army attacked their camp, which had 1,200 Indians. this was the biggest impact to the Cheyenne tribe. If that wasn’t enough the American army was killing the buffalos to start to eliminate the Indians food source. Many of the Indians died because of this. the biggest impact on all the Indian tribes was the battle of Little Bighorn. This was the greatest battle and win for the native americans. Over 262 soldiers died with, only 63 Indian soldiers died. After the battle the american army forced 1,000 Indians onto a reservation. Most of them died along the way there because of malaria and different type of illness. Some of the Indians tried to run away and go back to Montana but most of them was caught and killed on the spot. Little wolf and some of his companies was the only ones that made it back to Montana.

The natives didn’t get there rights they were promised,they were promised land yet they lost much,they were promised peace yet many died of war,the U.S. was unfair and unjust toward the nez perce and had forced them into signing the treatie and did not stand by it. Although the U.S, may say that they followed all the Natives rights and that they may not understand the treaties but still the natives rights weren’t followed as stated in the treatie.

Once the Sioux figured out that they now had a chance to push the Ponca’s out of Indian Territory, that’s just what they did. They took their crops, horses, and gave many threats towards them. The third most famous war called the Great Sioux war began in 1876. Although the U.S. government had won the war, it still didn’t mean they would stop pleasing the Sioux. The U.S. government gave what was left of the Ponca land to the Sioux. The treaty they made with the Ponca’s was completely broken. They cheated the Ponca Indians, and they were furious. In January 1877, Edward C. Kemble asked the Ponca’s to let him speak during church service. He told them that the government had given their fields and farm to the Sioux for a greater purpose. He also told them that they be getting new virgin lands in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). By this time the there only 738 Ponca Indians in the tribe, which meant they were not much of a force to the federal government.

In the early 1800’s, The United States and Spain had continuously argued with the Native people. The Louisiana Territory was purchased from France in the year 1803, Americans continued to push farther west for fertile land that could be used for farming. Due to overcrowding of eastern cities like New York City and Boston many settlers moved out west for a new start. It allowed for colonists to spread out and own untouched fertile land. When white settlers arrived they had realized that most of the land acquired from the territory was occupied by Native Americans for thousands of years. For decades Americans had thought that the land west of the Appalachian Mountains were unoccupied, but they were wrong. There were many tribes that had occupied this land. This included tribes like, The Choctaw, Cherokee, and The Chickasaw. In a sense, Americans had violent outbreaks with the Natives the minute the colonists’ had arrived in the United State. As the colonists’ tried to establish complete dominance and superiority over the Indians, ongoing heated debates over land ownership, and demanding requests to satisfy greed made forceful attacks between the groups unavoidable.

When whites first came to America, they tried to control the Indians. Whites soon realized that they could not control the Natives. This led to the Whites giving the Indians rights, but the Army ignored the rights the Natives had been given. As part of the Treaty of Fort Laramie or The Horse Creek treaty, 1851, the Native tribes were to be paid an annual annuity for granting the traveling immigrants a safe passage and staying within their tribal territories (Barrett 1). With an increase in foot travel along the trails leading to California for the gold rush, tensions were running high in the Native tribes (Cubbison 1). While the Natives were peaceful with the immigrants, their trust in The Army was failing. The soliders at Fort Laramie were

Chief Joseph was an American hero because he led the great retreat to Canada. Joseph was born in 1840 and died in 1905. The U.S government tried to kick the Nez Perce out and store them on a reservation. The Chief then tries to lead his people to safety in Canada. A few members of the tribe attack a group of white settlers. Outnumbered, Joseph and the Nez Perce surrender.

The United States was weak and poor after the Revolutionary War and this vital land was their only hope for success (Calloway). Unfortunately, this land was still home to many Native American tribes. The Native Americans that called this land home thought that the new settlers were coming in and taking over their land without any sort of reason or permission. The Native Americans did not take too kindly to these new people and their disregard for the Native American’s territories. The Creek Chief of Hallowing King said “Our lands are our life and our breath, if we part with them, we part with our blood” (qtd by Calloway). As a result of the discontent, there was a growing amount of violence that took place. The United States government had very little control over the area at the time of this unrest.

“My people, while I was gone you have sold my country, I have come home, and there is not left me a place which to pitch my lodge”(looking glass) Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce war. The U.S was not justified in their actions leading up to and during the Nez Perce war.

The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict between several bands of the Nez Perce tribe of Native Americans and their allies, a small band of the Palouse tribe led by Red Echo (Hahtalekin) and Bald Head (Husishusis Kute), against the United States Army. The conflict, fought between June–October 1877, stemmed from the refusal of several bands of the Nez Perce, dubbed "non-treaty Indians", to give up their ancestral lands in the Pacific Northwest and move to an Indian reservation in Idaho. This forced removal was in violation of the 1855 Treaty of Walla Walla, which granted the tribe 7.5 million acres in their ancestral lands and the right to hunt and fish in lands ceded to the government.

“The United States agree to pay to the said tribe in addition to the goods and provisions distributed to them at the time of signing this treaty, the sum of two hundred thousand dollars.” (Nez perce treaty article 4). The United States government bribed the Nez Perce tribe with extra money to sign the treaty that gave up the Nez Perce tribe's land and moved them to a reservation. The Nez Perce tribe did sign the treaty even though they were bribed because they wanted the money. “... named lawyer signed the treaty. The treaty gave away all the Nez Perce land” (Historylink). The Nez Perce tribe wanted the money so bad they were willing to sign a treaty they did not understand. The Nez Perce tribe never understand the treaty but the government wanted them to sign is so bad that they bribed the tribe. The US government was not justified to bribe the Nez Perce tribe to sign something they did not

When they found gold it was just a matter of time before things on the Sioux land would become heated. Miners made their way to the Black Hills, moving further and further into the Sioux’s hunting grounds. Ulysses S. Grant who was president during this time tried to honor the Treaty of Fort Laramie (PBS n.d.) but the miners demanded government protection from the Native Americans (Clark n.d.). When Grant gave into the pressure the federal government issued an order requiring all Indians to move onto reservations by January 31, 1876, otherwise they would be considered hostile (PBS n.d.).

The United States Government and the “Natives” were engaged in many battles over the years. One of those battles was the Battle of Little Big Horn or commonly known as Custer's Last Stand. The Battle little Big Horn took place at the little big horn river (now Montana) in 1876 with Lt. Col. George Custer against Crazy Horse and the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. According to Janiskee (2011) “268 Soldiers and attached personnel of the Seventh Cavalry” and “About 100 Indians” (para.7) were killed in the fight. Another famous battle United States Government and the “Natives” was the Battle of Fallen Timbers.

The US government was at war with the Nez Perce. They killed many of the Indians and took their land by

But the Indians had nowhere to go, if they left, because the whites would have all the land. So the Indians asked the whites to leave the land, so they can live in peace. So the whites made a promise that all the whites would leave the land. The U.S. government got involved with it even more, and didn’t keep their promise there was white men on the land. The Natives really wanted peace with them so they went to them again, and asked to agree with a peace council.

This allows the Indians power with numbers at a big win against General Custer at Little Bighorn. (299) Afterwards, the government justifies the deaths in that battle as the reason why the land will be given to the government and the Native Americans are given no choice, but to surrender, excluding Sitting Bull, pack leader, and a small portion of his people who escape to Canada. (310) They are able to now feel like even if they win a battle and get enough people to join their army the will never be truly allowed to win the land. The Nez Percés people are then told to give up their land and settle in a reservation after loosing battles to the Bluecoats.