Dakota/Sioux War

By: Walker Holmes, Joseph

Peers, Cameron Thompson,
Tona Montemayor, Nicolas
Zuniga
Our Perspective:
Native American Sioux
Walker Holmes

John Gast, American Progress, 1872- A painting

The continuation of Westward expansion, ten years after the Homestead Act, American settlers continue to move in hopes of creating better
lives for themselves. Tension between Native Americans and U.S government/ settlers were high due to Natives having their land taken away and
being forced to move farther and farther West and eventually into reservations. During the Industrial Revolution, trains were being built into the
West in efforts to connect America to boost its economy. During this time manifest destiny, the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of
the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable, was held by most Americans.Columbia flies through the West setting
up electrical lines, representing westward expansion in the United States and it is shown as a positive good for America because of the light
Columbia brings with her as she travels into the dark West. John Gast saw American expansion as progress and a positive good for the United
States and this is shown through the light that follows Columbia as she travels into the dark West. Everywhere industrialization has already occurred
is drenched in light and where it has not yet hit there is no light showing Gast also viewed industrialization as positive. This art showcases
advancements for settlers and the US as a whole and represents expansion and the industrial revolution in one image. It is significant in that it shows
the fear indians had and the power the whites held, making it so many Natives were powerless to stop whites unless war was to erupt. This shows
that the uprising was justified for the Natives because they were simply defending their land, culture, and lives so they were not savages. The whites
on the other hand were the dreadful creatures that had truly done wrong.
 Go West Young Man by Horace Greeley on November 15, 1871
In his letter, Greeley is giving Sanderson career advice by persuading him of the popular American belief at the time,
which was to move West and start a new life with his family. However, Greeley advises him to first prepare for the
conditions of life in the West and then migrate. At this time, post-Civil War, many American people were moving and
settling in the West at a high rate in the hopes of creating new, better lives for themselves, largely due to the popular
idea of Manifest Destiny. Railroad construction, the discovery of minerals, federal subsidies, and new technologies all
encouraged the mass influx of settlers in the West. However as these new settlers encroached on this new land, they
began forcing the Native American that had previously lived there further and further west, creating high tensions
between these settlers and the Indians. Greeley, an American newspaper editor and a large supporter of westward
expansion, shared the national conviction that it was the manifest destiny of Americans to conquer and civilize the
land between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. In great support of this idea, Greeley adamantly works to persuade
Sanderson, a young correspondent, that moving west is the best thing to do for him and his family. This letter is
significant in that the desire and excitement of the American people to move west is shown, however, the reactions
and feelings of the Indians whose land was being conquered were excluded. It depicts the settlers as heroes for going
and conquering the uncivilized, harsh west, while the Native Americans were actually the victims who were
outnumbered and forced off of their own, native lands without any warning.
By: Cameron Thompson
1863 Bill for the Removal of Sioux Indians and the Disposition
of the Reservation in MN And SD Tona Montemayor
This Bill was passed a year after the Homestead Act had been passed. The Homestead Act
allowed for the removal of Native Americans from their tribal lands and unto reservations so
that white settlers could use and farm the land. The land that was designated as reservations
were the most un-fertile lands and also the Native Americans were hunters and not farmers.
They were not given any assistance with farming equipment of any kind, nor were they given
seeds or any kind of information to help them. Therefore, the Native Americans were not
successful in farming. This bill, Bill 1863, favored the white settlers that moving to the new
lands to farm under the Homestead Act. The tribal lands that had been taken away from the
Native Americans were not being given to these white settlers. This bill specifically targeted
the Native American tribes of Minnesota and South Dakota. The white settlers who believed
in Manifest Destiny were now pushing forward toward this land in the west. Members of the
House of Representatives persuaded and supported by Nativists and Southern farmers used this
bill to remove even more Native Americans from their tribal lands to continue the expansion to
the west. Their purpose was to ultimately get rid of all Native Americans under the pretense of
doing it legally. The government and white settlers did not view the Native Americans as
equals. These people used their political power to remove them from their tribal lands, which
by the way, were fertile for farming, raising animals and for hunting. The Sioux Indians did
not agree with how the Homestead Act was being carried out and they rebelled against and in
retaliation to get rid of them and take over their land, Bill 1863 was passed to officially remove
them from the land.
 Letter From George E.H. Day to Abraham Lincoln, Jan. 1 1862
The letter was written in January, a couple months before the war started. Around this time Abraham lincoln was handling continuous union military
disasters and wrestling with getting the Emancipation Proclamation Ratified. The author was an activist who had travelled to many tribes and
enjoyed their culture. He wanted to protect their way of life by creating better laws and by keeping with already signed treaties. The audience was
president Lincoln who had the power to help George and protect the natives. Purpose was to get lincoln to stop letting the government and its people
infringe on the rights and contracts with the natives. The author was trying to stop the continuation of harsh and unfair treatment. He had seen first
hand of the culture and prosperity in these communities and felt that the government need to honor its agreements. The document details his
encounters with northern native tribes and their mistreatment of the natives. It shows the savage nature of the government, soldiers, and settlers for
not keeping their agreement and attacking the sioux.

By Joseph Peers
 By: Cameron Thompson

Letter From General Pope Declaring his Goal of Exterminating Sioux on September
28, 1862
General Pope argues that treaties will not bring any peace between them because the Sioux are savages and incapable of compromising.
Therefore, he will do whatever it takes, including seeking quick execution for the Sioux involved in the rebellion and force the
remaining off of their land, in order to end the uprising. In 1851, the US signed two treaties with the Sioux that resulted in the Sioux
ceding large portions of the Minnesota Territory in exchange for compensation, trade goods, and moving to a reservation. However
many of the goods were substandard and overvalued and promised payments were often late or absent, despite Sioux visits with the
government to assert proper enforcement, and continued for years, constantly increasing tensions and distrust. General Pope, recently
banished to Minnesota by President Lincoln after his humiliating defeat at the Civil Wars Battle of Second Bull Run, was presented
with an opportunity to get revenge and to redeem himself at the Siouxs expense. He immediately approves and justifies Sibleys plans
to prosecute the Sioux who had participated in the rebellion as war criminals/savages and their subsequent speedy execution because of
his desire to appease the popular lust toward the Sioux and regain his status. This letter intensified tension between the US government
and the Sioux and made the Sioux fear their lives and security. It symbolized the ruthlessness many Americans had for the Sioux thus
proving to be a letter holding the potential of great harm. To the Sioux this served as confirmation not to surrender to the Americans.
 LETTER FROM REV. THOMAS WILLIAMSON TO REV. STEPHEN RIGGS
The Dakota Sioux Indians committed a number of attacks and atrocities on the settlers of Minnesota in 1862 during the
war. In this letter, Reverend Thomas Williamson states that he believes that no matter who the jurors are, they will find the
Sioux Indians guilty. The letter shows that how religious leaders felt didnt matter when the decision was coming from a
governor or jurors. This letter comes from the point of view of a religious leader, someone that is supposed to be impartial
and wise in their ways. However, Williamson is also a white settler of Minnesota, whose colleagues and fellow settlers have
been terrorized. The reverend remarks that all men, from the governor to the settlers, will find the men guilty, though he does
not believe all of the men are. The reverend views the attacks as a tragedy, but believes that the stereotypes that all natives
need to be punished will prevail. This letter shows two different points of view following the attack on the settlers. The
reverend himself believes that a number of men imprisoned are innocent, but that the general public will see them all as
guilty. The two contrasting ideas show how many whites felt about Native Americans at the time.

Nico Zuniga
GEORGE CROOK'S (WAKANAJAJA'S) ACCOUNT OF JOURNEY TO PRISON
CAMP
The Dakota Sioux War had officially ended in 1876 whereas the white settlers and the politicians had been set on driving all the Sioux out of their
tribal lands into reservations by use of the Homestead Act and Bill 1863 which was the last big effort to officially take away their lands and drive
them unto reservations. Many of the Sioux had been retaliating because they did not agree and refused to be pushed into a reservation against their
will. The Dakota Sioux War had dragged on from 1862 - 1876 and the law and soldiers had been killing and imprisoning many Sioux Indians. The
living conditions of the Sioux at the reservation was awful. They didnt have any food, water or provisions of any kind. Many were ill and these
were desperate times for them. The Sioux Indians who had continued to retaliate in any way were being rounded up and taken to New Ulm to be
imprisoned and given a so called trial and ultimately executed. This account of Wakanajaja aka George Crook is of his journey to the prison camp in
New Ulm where he will be awaiting trial with his brother and two others. The prisoners would be transported by the soldiers in very small carts
drawn by oxen and it would take a long time to get there. He relates that the soldiers who spoke their language were very rude and ugly and they
were mistreated badly. In his account he relates that the situation in New Ulm was so awful and desperate that even the driver was scared to enter
the settlement. The driver tries to turn the cart around but is not successful and the prisoners are beaten so harshly that they end up with raw skin.
Wakanajaja is lucky in the sense that he is the only survivor of that group. He is saddened by the loss of his sixteen year old brother. This
experience was something that he would never forget for the rest of his life. His account paints a picture of the horror and atrocities that the Sioux as
well as other Native Americans were going through at this time of great turmoil. Thru this accounts we as the audience are informed by first hand
accounts of what they suffered and not through information of white settlers that were for the most part inaccurate and didnt reflect the truth of what
many Native Americans suffered. Tona Montemayor
Nico Zuniga

Settlers Escaping From the Fighting, August. 21, 1862- An Image

The Dakota Sioux War began when a group of Sioux Indians murdered five white settlers who were on a hunting expedition. In the
photograph, titled Settlers Escaping from Fighting, white settlers are shown, some helpless and bloodied, banding together and not
participating in the conflict. On August 20th, 1862, a day before this picture was taken, Dakota Sioux Indians had attacked Fort Ridgely,
ambushing a number of settlers and making it harder for aid to be brought to the Americans. The authors purpose here is to illustrate the
hardships faced by the white settlers. While Native Americans are often regarded as the innocent party in most circumstances dealing with
whites, they committed violent and brutal acts themselves too. This image shows suffering of white settlers who have lost their home and
their safety. By capturing an image showing settlers banding together to escape from bloodshed, the photographer shows the fear and sadness
the settlers had over the attacks. This early photograph of settlers in Minnesota shows a large group of white settlers, some dirty and
bloodied, seeking refuge away from their village. This image shows how groups of people were displaced from their homes, people that
hadnt necessarily done anything wrong, including women and children.
Speech of Hdainyanka in Favor of continuing war ( Heard, History of Sioux
War, 151-52)
Hdainyanka argues that the war must continue and the Dakota indians will continue fighting for if they give up the war and
settle with treaties and agreements the whites will not respect any of them and the Natives would lose everything. Treaties between the
United States government and most Natives had been broken in the past so there was little trust between the Dakotas and the US
government. Indians were being forced on to reservations and settlers/ US government were trying to take away Indian and Dakota land
when they had no grounds to do so.Hdainyanka and the Dakota Indians felt they had justification to kill whites for if they did not they
would lose their homes and many rights. They felt if they stopped fighting they would be agreeing to give up their culture, way of life,
freedom, and identities. The Dakota Indians were being robbed, cheated, and killed and for that they wanted justice and for it not to
keep happening.So, the Dakota Indians wanted to justify their fighting and wanted to make it clear that they would fight until death and
this speech does just that. This inspired these Natives to continue fighting during this time and to not surrender in a time of despair.

Walker Holmes
By Joseph
Peers

Public execution of 38 Dakota Indians at Mankato, by W. H. Childs, 1862,

Painting.
At this time many settlers had moved west due to the societal belief of manifest destiny and were urged on by the government
with acts like the homestead act. Ultimately this lead to entitled settlers who looked to claim the land that was already lived on by
natives, this caused fighting and agreements made between the natives and the government to bring about peace. The point of view of
the author is that the great size and strength of the U.S. army and government is too big to revolt against. Audience might be Natives
who could be persuaded not to revolt by the disturbing picture. When the government stepped in to the situation of the natives and
settlers fighting it shows the overpowerment and helplessness of the native americans. The document shows the continued removal of
native culture from the United States. It is only a small part of the chain that is the massive manifest destiney trend that sweeps the
natives into small pockets of the United States. This left the natives crushed and corned while the colonists were free and happy in the
once native american land. This specific examples shows the sheer overpowerment of the natives and how the government and
americans are the true savages.