The West

Interactions between white Americans and Native Americans in the nineteenth century were characterized by white desire to occupy native land, whether to develop the railroad, pursue buffalo hunting, or claim newly-mined gold. Conflicts escalated into military battles in which Native Americans fought to defend their ancestral homeland. Military victory by Native Americans, such as in the Battle of Little Bighorn, did not deter white Americans’ interests. When the Lakota defeated Custer and his troops, the U.S.government deported the Lakota to reservations anyway, with a sharpened desire to claim more Native land as their own.  These videos demonstrate to students distinct chapters in the encounters between white Americans and Native Americans. Students will understand the forces that spurred these encounters, the traits that characterized each side’s treatment of one another, and the ultimate outcome of the American government’s strategy towards native populations. The culminating activity invites students to create a monument commemorating an important element of the Native American struggle during this time period, either for the Cherokee, one of three tribal leaders, or for the children at residential schools.