The life of a plain Indian was one of simplicity and routine. As with most other Native Americans, plain Indians were very resourceful and were “one with their land.” Plain tribes such as the Sioux and the Cheyenne were dependent on the flourishment of the local wild food and the herds of buffalo. Also these Native Americans were very sheltered; they knew very much about life east of the Mississippi. Once peaceful plain Indians but later turned rebellious due to the white man’s destruction of what these Indians believed was sacred.
First some of the major problems Indians had with the settlers were land and the buffalo. Land, settlers claimed whatever land they wanted whenever and no matter whose livelihood it destroyed. This idea of Manifest Destiny was reasoned that “Native Americans had forfeited their rights
Another clash that came between the plain Indians and the white folk was a fight over the Bozeman Trail. The trail was a favorite hunting spot for the Sioux but the U.S. government had a major transportation route running right through it. The Sioux appealed to the government their situation but forts continued to be built around the area. When these Indians realized that talking would not work the Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne went in small bands on surprise raids to harass the troops. On one raid the leader Crazy horse led Capt. Fetterman and his troops into and ambush at Lodge Trail Ridge. Capt. Fetterman and his troops were quickly surrounded and then killed. This was one of the rare cases that the U.S. government agreed in the Indians favor when signing the treaty.
Example Essays Home
