The Wounded Knee Massacre

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The United States history in expanding west has been a bloody and gruesome. Through manifest destiny, the United States has taken it upon themselves to continue moving west and settling, removing those already in those lands. The American government put in place offers to incentivized people to move out west and start businesses and farms. The Indians suffered the most as a result of these actions. As Americans were looking for a quick way to make money, Indians were quickly pushed off their land into smaller reserves. This lead to numerous clashes between Indians and American forces. One big clash that could have been avoided was the Wounded Knee massacre. This massacre cannot be blamed solely on the American Army, it can be blamed on the …show more content…
The main problem general Sherman and others had with the Indians was how they were affecting his ability to make money. Governors and other officials were attempting to push the Sioux out of their land and settle it. Sioux had no intentions to leave their land or assimilate into white american society, the US saw this as a hostile act. Their racist stereotypes took this as an act of hostility and savagery. These tensions continued to boil, in 1876, The war department gave the army permission to attack the Sioux. When the government and the army realized that the Indians had no intention of assimilating or succumbing to the Americans pressure, the Americans took this as a declaration of …show more content…
The Army leaders were looking to gain recognition and make a name for themselves. The arrest of Sitting Bull, a prominent chief of the Sioux, intensified tensions between the officers and Indians. This ensude chaos and mistrust between the two. As fighting broke out people began to fleed. When a cavalry ran into Indians a couple miles away they forced them to disarm. It is unclear how it began but fighting broke out between the two forces when the Indians refused to give up their guns. This lead to the massacre of around 300 Indians. The cause of this massacre is clearly the Army’s fault, but the politicians also played a large role. The Indians were upset with the little resources they were getting that was previously promised. The Military saw themselves as cleaning up the mess of the politicians. Both the Politicians and the army are to blame, this could have been avoided if it were not for their efforts to make a name and stand out. These event that lead to the Wounded Knee massacre were a results of numerous actions and players. The military were racist and bloodthirsty when it came to the Indians. But the government also pushing racist policy when it concerned the Indians. The economy also incentivises the people, army and
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