Sioux Tribe - Westward Expansion
Hailey Hood
When throughout history has the cost of enlarging a nation overridden the value of human life?
Would you ever kill anyone for a piece of land? Back when America was still growing people would go to extents of cold murder to get their hands on land. The new land was essential to starting a new life. The western frontier movement forever changed history and is shown through how they handled the change.
There was a time in history when westward expansion overrode the value of human life. It was an example of the Sioux Tribe. This tribe lived on their sacred land, the Black Hills, but the government wanted it. The land was known to have gold on it and the government wanted to mine it. Government fought and mocked the Indians eventually causing the Indians to retreat to Canada. Eventually these natives were forced to participate in American culture by changing their names, attending schools, and live in wood houses. The government made a bill saying that it would put the Indians into reservations and give each family 168 acres and the extra land would be given to settlers. Some natives refused the supplies from the government because they wanted their old ways of life. When the Sioux transferred to the Americans way of life they had gotten their illnesses and diseases and killed some. Soon the government became impatient and gave the Sioux a new offer, each person would receive their 168 acres and the government would pay the Indians one dollar and twenty-five cents for the extra land. They refused. The chief was going to be arrested when a shootout happened killing the chief's family and himself. After the shootout government went to the tribe and asked for weapons, raided the area, and started a battle, killing most.
Finally it goes to show how westward expansion overrode the value of life. The government wanted the land so bad they killed for it. First they pushed the people out of their homes, tried to change them, and lastly killed the people for the land they did not want to give up. The government was willing to oversee the value of life to get land just for money from mining. It just goes to show how society has changed since then. We now buy land and do it in a civil way.
Sioux Indians
Sioux Reservation and Flag
Battle at Little Bighorn
Westward Expansion Rap
Work Cited
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http://www.ndstudies.org/resources/IndianStudies/standingrock/historical_gs_reservation.
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N.d. “United Sioux Tribes.” http://www.manataka.org/page363.html. March 14, 2016.
"Westward Expansion Rap." Online Video Clip. Youtube. Google. October 2, 2011. Web. March 14, 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqCO1fMWeOM.
N.d. http://www.manataka.org/page1134.html. March 14, 2016.