The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Treaty of Fort Laramie

The persecution of the Indigenous Peoples in American history is a several century long struggle between the Native Americans and the European settlers; a struggle which the Native Americans eventually lost. In 1868, the U.S. government enacted the second Treaty of Fort Laramie, which created the Great Sioux Reservation, gave control of the Red Powder River Country to the Native Americans, and forbade any non-Indian to step inside their reservations. After gold was discovered inside the Great Sioux Reservation, miners began encroaching on forbidden land, and caused the U.

S. government to unsuccessfully make an offer to buy the Paha Sapa, or Black Hills, from the Plains Indians.

The Battle of Little Bighorn, also called Custer’s Last Stand, was the result of the U.S. government ordering all Native Americans to return to their reservations and sending the U.S. Army after “hostiles”, or Indians that refused to return to reservations after failing to gain the Black Hills. On June 25th, 1876, General George Custer and the Seventh Cavalry found the village of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, Sioux chiefs that gathered thousands of hostiles from their reservations onto Little Bighorn River. The Seventh Cavalry was incredibly overwhelmed, and after Custer split the Seventh Cavalry into three battalions, him and his men were driven up Last Stand Hill and defeated in a battle that “...could not have lasted more than an hour and a half…”(Robbins 394). Custer and over 260 men, about 200 with Custer, were massacred in the Battle of Little Bighorn(Robbins 405). The Battle of Little Bighorn ignited the U.S.’s devastating actions towards the Plains Indians that indirectly led to the Wounded Knee Massacre, helped ratify the Manypenny Agreement, an extremely controversial treaty surrounding the Black Hills, and tragically shortened the Plains Indians’ freedoms from within and beyond the boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation.

The Wounded Knee Massacre was an indirect effect of the Battle of Little Bighorn. After Spotted Elk, the Minnenjou chief, surrendered to the army, a misunderstanding of a deaf Minnenjou named Black Coyote and a soldier searching for weapons initiated Black Coyote to accidentally shoot off his gun. “...immediately the soldiers returned fire and began indiscriminate killing followed”(Turning Hawk qtd. in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee etal 445). The deaths totaled to over 146 men, women, and children and, added to the people who died afterwards from injuries, the deaths came up to approximately 300(Wounded Knee Massacre). The massacre derived from the Ghost Dance Movement, originating from the vision of the Paiute prophet Wovoka who was among the destitute, poverty-stricken Native Americans on the reservations. The movement promised the end of the white men and the return of buffalo, horses, and fertile fields(Brown 432).

The succession of the Ghost Dance Movement to the Wounded Knee Massacre not only weighed heavily upon its benefits, but also on the state of the Lakota peoples who adopted it. The biggest reason why the Lakotas adopted the Ghost Dance was many of them were poor and starving, some of it due to the Battle of Little Bighorn. As explained in the The United States v. the Sioux Nation of Indians, the Indians who surrendered were deprived of their arms and stead following the Battle of Little Bighorn. The Ghost Dance spread rapidly because it appealed to the desires that tragically many Reservation Indians shared. Its promises of reviving the dead persuaded Spotted Elk, chief of the Minnenjous Lakota, and his band of Minnenjous, to dance. The Minnenjous consisted mostly of women who lost loved ones in the Battle of Little Bighorn, and they danced to revive them(Brown 433).

Their dancing and that of several others attracted more and more followers to the Ghost Dance Movement, and as the number of Lakota followers rose higher and higher into the thousands, steps toward eroding any further practices of the religion grew closer and closer to being taken by the restless Americans, like deploying troops onto reservations for example. For his participation in the Ghost Dance Movement, Sitting Bull was to be arrested but was killed accidentally on December 15th, 1890, while being taken into custody. Due to fear of sharing the same fate, the victims of the Wounded Knee Massacre attempted to seek refuge at the Pine River Agency under the protection of Red Cloud, but were stopped by Colonel James Forsyth and the Seventh Cavalry surrendered on December 28th, 1890. The next day, because of their involvement in the Ghost Dance, hundreds would be, “blasted to smithereens”(McCoy qtd. in Blood Brothers etal 242), in the battle that some say ended the Sioux Wars. The Wounded Knee Massacre ended in defeat for the Sioux Indians, tragically making them lose the Sioux Wars, a war in which they had been suffering through for its last 24 years.

In addition to the Wounded Knee Massacre, the Battle of Little Bighorn led to the enactment of the Agreement of 1877, which, according to “To Settle the Black Hills Claim with the Sioux Nation of Indians,” represents one of the worst, underhanded dealings in American History. In this bill, also known as the Manypenny Agreement, the Black Hills was annexed by Congress. The Manypenny Agreement states,

“The western boundaries shall commence at the intersection of the one hundred and third meridian of longitude with the northern boundary of the State of Nebraska; thence north along said meridian to its intersection with the south Fork of the Cheyenne River; thence sown said stream to its junction with the North Fork; thence up the North Fork of said Cheyenne River to the said one hundred and third meridian; thence north along said meridian to the South Branch of Cannon Ball river or Cedar Creek; and the northern boundary of their said reservation shall follow the said South Branch to its intersection with the main Cannon Ball River, and thence down the said main Cannon Ball River to the Missouri River”(qtd. in Treaty with the Sioux Nation).

The Manypenny Agreement was the result of America’s failure early on in the battles for the Black Hills in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Although the military suffered defeat, part of the War for the Black Hills turned to pen and paper. While the army was doing their part, “killing Indians wherever they could be found”(Brown 301), on August 15th, 1876, the government enforced a new law, commonly referred to as the “Sell or Starve Act”, onto the Sioux Indians. The new bill threatened to sever the Native Americans’ necessities the government supplied unless the Sioux signed over the Black Hills, unceded territory, and hunting rights. To ensure a victory in the war, the government created the Maypenny Commission, led by George Manypenny, to travel through the Lakota agencies and acquire the required ¾ signature of Adult Indian males, as stated by Article XII in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie; “No treaty for the cession of any portion or part of the reservation herein described which may be held in common, shall be of any validity or force as against the said Indians unless executed and signed by at least three-fourths of all the adult male Indians occupying or interested in the same”.

The bill was a success at obtaining the Black Hills the following year. However, the bill only had 230 signatures, which was 10% of adult males on the reservation, and even though putting the bill into law would supercede the Treaty of Fort Laramie, it was passed on February 28th, 1877. The government justified their taking of the sacred Paha Sapa from reservation territory by using the Battle of Little Bighorn as an excuse. According to Brown, the government accused the Sioux of going to war, which is a direct violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, and so, Article XII of Treaty of Fort Laramie was disregarded(297). The Manypenny Agreement was a tragedy for many Sioux Indians because, even after the United States agreed with them over a century later, they were never able to take back their land, which was an important piece of their history and culture. “The Black Hills are the birthplace of our Nation, where we rose from Mother Earth’s womb”(Indian Country Today Reclaiming the Sacred Black Hills).”Our legends took place there”(Indian Country Today Reclaiming the Sacred Black Hills).

Thirdly, the Battle of Little Bighorn restricted the Native Americans’ freedoms on and outside of the Great Sioux Reservation. The Sioux Indians were pursued and tormented by the government and military, forcing them to surrender and raising their reliability on the food rations and other necessities provided by the US Government, and also reducing the size of their territories. In response to Custer’s death, General Philip H. Sheridan commanded Generals George Crook and Alfred Terry to harass bands of Native Americans into surrendering. They scoured the Black Hills, destroying villages and tormenting Native Americans(Brown 301). From September 9 to September 10th, 1876 during the Battle of Slim Buttes, Captain Anson Mills came upon American Horse’s village and destroyed it. Another example would be the Nez Perce, lead by chief Joseph, who tried to escape to Canada after not accepting the order to be removed to another location.

They maneuvered around the newly formed Seventh Cavalry, who wanted to “...vindicate the regiment’s honor by a victory over any Indians willing to fight”(Brown 326). Due to starvation, chief Joseph eventually surrendered and uttered his famous line, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever”(Brown 328). The army pursued several other Native Americans, but most vigorously Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, who were both seen as the most prominent figures in the Battle of Little Bighorn. “We have been running up and down this country, but they follow us from one place to another”(Sitting Bull qtd. in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee etal 303). The most wanted one, Sitting Bull, branded for the killing of Custer, and his band of Hunkpapas were driven by the army across the Medicine Line into Canada in the spring of 1877.

Crazy Horse, on the other hand, eventually surrendered and died September 5th, 1877 while being arrested on the territory. Not only were more Indians being forced onto reservations, but also the Great Sioux Reservation was shrinking and their individual freedoms were being erased. The Manypenny Agreement, the result of the “Sell or Starve Act” and also the Battle of Little Bighorn by itself, reduced the size of the Great Sioux Reservation by not only seizing the Black Hills, but also added roads through the reservation. Article 2 of the Manypenny Agreement states, “The said Indians also agree and consent that wagon Roads through and other roads, not exceeding three in number, may be constructed reservation and maintained, from convenient and accessible points on the Missouri River…” As for the Indian’s individual freedoms, the Manypenny Agreement also required the Sioux to, “hereby relinquish and cede to the United States all the territory lying outside the said reservation, as herein modified and described, including all privileges of hunting.”

In addition, General William Sherman took control of the reservations in the Sioux territory and treated the reservation Indians as prisoners of war. The reduction of the Native Americans’ freedom of movement outside the Great Sioux Reservation tragically forced them to abandon their free will so they could survive.

In summation, the tragedy of the Little Bighorn built the foundation for the Wounded Knee Massacre, caused the enactment of the extremely controversial treaty, the Manypenny Agreement, and stripped the Plains Indians of their freedom in and out of the Great Sioux Reservation. As the Battle of Little Bighorn took the lives of Native American men, several families had to suffer, and due to the poor, starving Minnenjous who had lost their loved ones, Spotted Elk and his band danced the Ghost Dance. Their dancing eventually caused Spotted Elk to worry for his band’s safety as tensions between the military and the Sioux increased in the agencies. After failing to escape, Spotted Elk and his band surrendered and camped on Wounded Knee Creek, and the next day, a miscommunication lead to the massacre of defenseless men, women, and children. The campaign to force Indians onto reservations was greatly resuscitated by Custer’s Last Stand, which embittered many Americans and congregated thirsts for revenge. Because of the economic benefits of the Paha Sapa and because Native Americans who surrendered onto reservations were deprived of their supplies, leading them to rely on rations of food from the government even more, the government threatened to not supply them their vital necessities unless they ceded the Black Hills through the “Sell or Starve” Act. The act was used by the Manypenny Commission to induce Lakota, Arapaho, and Cheyenne Indians to sign the Manypenny Agreement, which would strip them of the Black Hills. With only 230 signatures, 65% less than required by the Treaty of Fort Laramie, the sacred land was removed from the Sioux’s possession. The death of Custer in his last stand exponentially eliminated movements of multiple different bands of Native Americans over time and negatively affected the Reservation.

The spark of an all out war against the Native Americans came from Custer’s defeat(Robbins 409). Outraged, the U.S. army took several steps toward killing harassing Indians who were and were not apart of the Battle of Little Bighorn and kept reservation indians as prisoners. Through the Manypenny Agreement, hunting rights and territorial claims of the Sioux indians were deleted, furthering the removal of freewill and movement from the Native Americans. The tragic case of the Plains Indians began after the Battle of Little Bighorn. Suddenly, after almost a decade since the treaty of Fort Laramie, the reduction of Sioux land, freedom, and dependability on the government soared. Custer’s Last stand signifies one of the terrible injustices of the Indigenous Peoples brought upon them by the Europeans; an, “ironic outcome of the Black Hills gold rush that Custer helped encourage”(Robbins 411).

The victory lead to more suffering for the Native Americans than its European counterparts. Most of the suffering came from the loss of General Custer, a well respected army official, while others came from the defeat itself. Author Robbins explains that, “...frontier battles with Indians were not supposed to end this way”(409). The Battle of Little Bighorn signified one of the greatest triumphs of the Plains Indians in the Sioux Wars, but, in the end, became their greatest mistake. “The experience of their American cousins, south of the border, particularly those of Sitting Bull’s people who had defeated General Custer at the Little Bighorn River in 1876, made it clear that armed conflict, even if temporarily successful, ultimately led to disaster for the Native people.”(Ray qtd. in “Borders to freedom”).

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