Indian Wars, 1862–1867: 1 (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes

Indian Wars, 1862-1867

Background and growing tensions

By 1862, relationships between the Plains Indians and the American government had reached a breaking point. The treaties that had been established were falling apart, and armed conflict was becoming increasingly common across the western territories.

The fundamental problem was a complete misunderstanding between two very different ways of life. White American settlers moving west had completely different ideas about land ownership and use compared to the Plains Indian tribes who had lived there for generations.

Key causes of conflict

Cultural misunderstandings and disputes

The cultural gap between white settlers and Plains Indians created serious problems. White Americans didn't understand how Plains Indians lived and, more importantly, they were often scared of them. Many white settlers thought Plains Indians were violent and should live more like white Americans.

At the same time, Plains Indians believed that land was something that couldn't be owned by individuals - it was for everyone to use. This was completely opposite to white American ideas about private land ownership.

The Homestead Act of 1862 made things worse by promising white settlers 160 acres of free land on the Plains as long as they built a home and farmed it. This encouraged thousands more settlers to move onto traditional Indian lands.

The concept of "Manifest Destiny" drove white settlers to believe they had a divine right to own all the land from coast to coast. Plains Indians thought land could only be looked after, never truly owned.

Broken promises and failed treaties

The government repeatedly broke agreements they had made with Indian tribes, creating deep mistrust and anger.

The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 had required the Dakota Sioux to give up their debts to traders before receiving money from the government. However, the government had promised to pay them, but when they failed to do this, the government refused to give them any money.

Many tribes had been promised payment by the government for the poor quality of land they had been moved to, but this money never arrived.

White settlers often completely ignored reservation boundaries and took land that was supposed to be good for farming, even though it belonged to the tribes.

Poor living conditions on reservations

The government's concentration policy had forced many Plains Indians onto reservations, but life there was extremely difficult.

Many tribes who had been moved onto these reservations were literally starving. The poor quality of the land they were given meant they couldn't grow enough food to survive.

Local traders refused to do business with Plains Indians, so they couldn't even buy basic food supplies. Some tribes became so desperate they had to eat grass just to try to survive.

The widespread killing of buffalo that Plains Indians depended on for food made their situation even worse.

Major conflicts

Little Crow's War, 1862

Little Crow was the chief of a band of Dakota Sioux who became central to the first major conflict of this period.

In 1851, his tribe had signed treaties agreeing to move to a reservation in southern Minnesota, giving up an enormous 24 million acres of their traditional land. However, the land they were given was completely unsuitable for farming, and when the American government failed to make the payments they had promised, crops failed and people began to starve. The government then refused to provide emergency food supplies.

The situation exploded on 17 August 1862 when a small Sioux hunting party killed five white settlers. The next day, Little Crow led an attack on a town, stealing food and supplies they desperately needed and killing over 700 white settlers and soldiers.

The American government responded by sending a huge army. Many Sioux surrendered after the Battle of Wood Lake on 23 September 1862. The aftermath was brutal - 300 Sioux were sentenced to death, though this was later reduced to 38 who were eventually hanged.

The Cheyenne Uprising, 1863

After the Fort Laramie Treaty, seven Indian nations including the Cheyenne were given a vast territory covering parts of present-day Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas.

However, the discovery of gold in Colorado in 1858 caused a gold rush that brought large numbers of white settlers directly into Indian territory.

The Treaty of Fort Wise in 1861 drastically reduced Cheyenne lands and forced them to live in areas that were terrible for farming and far away from the buffalo herds they needed for survival.

Many bands of Cheyenne Indians were furious about having to give up their lands, and many tribal chiefs who had agreed to the treaty found that their own people wouldn't support them.

By 1863, facing starvation and desperate conditions, some Cheyenne began attacking waggon trains and stealing food and supplies to survive.

Timeline of major events

• 1851 - Fort Laramie Treaty signed, Dakota Sioux give up 24 million acres
• 1858 - Gold discovered in Colorado, triggering gold rush into Indian territory
• 1861 - Fort Wise Treaty drastically reduces Cheyenne lands
• 1862 - Homestead Act passed, encouraging more white settlement
• 17 August 1862 - Little Crow's War begins with attack on white settlers
• 23 September 1862 - Battle of Wood Lake ends Little Crow's War
• 1863 - Cheyenne Uprising begins with attacks on waggon trains