Native American Struggle

Native American Struggle

The Iroquois Confederacy was formed in either 1142 or around 1450. The Confederacy was made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes. Their goal was to stop warring between each other and become allies against bigger threats. Their way of governing was often observed as a central government, with their Grand Council seen more as a ceremonial role. Most decisions were made on local levels.

The French Indian War began in 1754, which began after the French became worried about the ever growing territory of the British. The Iroquois decided to join the British to fight against their native rivals, the Algonquin Peoples. As the British won the war in 1763, The King divided his new lands with the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation gave the land west of the Appalachians to the First Nations.

The US was home to many of tribes during the early 19th Century. Most were living on their lands in the American Southeast. The American southerners wanted to have the natives removed so that those lands could be settled and eventually turn a profit. Because of the, on May 28, 1830, the Indian Removal Act was set in motion by President Andrew Jackson. Most tribes agreed to move, but some fought harshly to keep their sacred ancestral grounds. This large movement resulted in the Trail of Tears. Many Indians died along the way, and the land promised was unsuitable for their needs.

The Fort Laramie Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Lakota People, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation. The treaty gave complete ownership of the Black Hills to the Lakota Peoples. It also continued hunting rights for the Lakota in Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. The treaty also made the Area closed to all Whites. Gold prospectors kept sneaking into the territory, resulting in three miners being killed, leading to The Black Hills War.

Gold was discovered in the Black Hills resulting the the U.S. taking action against the native peoples there to control the land. The Black Hills War was a series of engagements between The United States and the Lakota, Dakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. The most famous of these battles was that of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand. The battle resulted in a crushing defeat by the United States. The battle was the start of the end of Indian Wars, with the Indians eventually losing and agreeing to move to reservations.

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