The Consequences Of The Native American Civil War

Before 1860s, many Native Americans moved west in a journey called the Trail of Tears. Many Native Americans in the west died due to starvation and disease. The Native American population continued to dwindle. As war and expansion continued throughout history, Native Americans began submit to white rule. Native Americans in the west went from violently resisting whites in the 1860s to appeasing whites by the Reconstruction period because of the Civil War. In the 1860s, Native Americans in the west were violently resisting whites. Freedom to the Native Americans meant defending their independence, retaining the possession of their land, and retaining their cultural identity. There were on and off conflicts between the Native Americans in the west and whites because of broken treaties. Native Americans who submitted to American farming did not get enough supplies. As a result, they used violence as a means to resist Native American removal. Many risked their lives in order to protect …show more content…
American Civil War meant total war against those who were not white; this included the Native Americans. The idea of manifest destiny and white superiority were prominent during the Civil War. This lead to continuous conflict amongst the Native Americans in the west and the whites. The expansion of the railroad system and the increase of the North’s economy also contributed to the relocation of Native Americans. This enraged the Native Americans and during the Civil War, the Sioux Indians killed white farmers who took their land in the North. Furthermore, December of 1862 held the largest Native American execution in America. Thirty eight Native Americans in the west were hanged because they refused to move. In 1864, a group of Colorado soldiers killed around four hundred Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. The idea of total Civil War continued to move Native Americans towards the west and decrease the population of the Native