Native Americans
how they were affected during the Westward Expansion
Did You Know?
The Cheyenne tribe fought the American Troops many times in order to gain back their freedom in a fight known as the Red River War. They fought through brutal winters and many people were killed. This lasted from the 1860's to the 1870's! This was the main lasting battle between the two groups.
Buffalo
The buffalo population decreased rapidly during this time. Since it was one of the Native Americans prime sources of food, many people suffered. It was definitely a time of hardship.
Preservation
One of the many reserves Native Americans were forced onto. They consisted of mostly flat land.
Sad
The Native Americans were not happy being forced to live on preservation's, but only some did anything about it.
What Happened to the Native Americans?
The Native Americans were not treated fairly during the Westward Expansion. Imagine your whole lifestyle being pushed around and changed. As you can tell, this was not a good time for the Native American Tribes. One of their main sources of food was buffalo, and buffalo rapidly declined in population. Living on limited land, preservation's, this was not good for them. The Native Americans did not get along with the Americans well at all. Can you blame them, though? Anyways, this constant battle between the two caused many deaths. Most of the people killed were the Native Americans because they had less weapons, protection, people and power. The picture on the right shows Native Americans moving off their land.
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the movement when Native Americans were forced off their homeland and onto preservation's. The tribes of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muskogee and the Seminole were involved. The Native Americans moved off their southeastern United States land onto places across the Mississippi River. This started in 1838 and went on for quite some time. More then 15,000 members of the Cherokee tribe were moved and about 4,000 died. This was a time of extreme sadness for them, hence the name Trail of Tears.