Consequences Of The Battle Of Little Bighorn

On June 25th, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Custer attacked Sioux forces near Little Bighorn. Even though the Battle of Little Bighorn has been greatly remembered, the conflict was not the only factor in the final outcome of Little Bighorn. The United States government, Sioux tribes, and American citizens all played roles in the story, which all led to the outcome of Little Bighorn. The pivotal moments that led to the outcome of the Battle of Little Bighorn were the signing of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, the gold discovery in the Black Hills, the reunification of the Sioux, and the mistakes of Custer on June 25th, 1876. Many events took place on the way to George Custer’s defeat at Little Bighorn. One of the earliest was the signing …show more content…
After Custer’s discovery, an overflow of prospectors traveled to the Black Hills (Keenan “Sioux”). As well as grabbing the attention of many settlers, the gold discovery also grabbed the attention of the U.S. government. The United States offered to purchase the Sioux’s land from them, essentially asking to cut their property in half. The Sioux tribes declined the offer, which then resulted in threats from the US military. “The government had offered to buy the land, but when tribal leaders refused, they threatened to shoot any Native American not on the reservation by January 1876” (Fredriksen “Crazy”). The return threats caused a sense of unity between the Sioux tribes and the Oglala, banding them together to fight back. (Fredriksen “Crazy”). This sense of unity between the tribes was one of many events that led to the outcome of Little Bighorn for many reasons. By 1875, Sitting Bull had already gathered upwards of “4,000 Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne warriors to help drive the white prospectors off their land” (Fredriksen “Sitting”). The newly founded Sioux army then proceeded to kill and drive of white prospectors looking for gold (Fredriksen “Crazy”). Due to the large amount of prospectors demanding protection from the U.S. military, and the growing threat of the hostile tribes, the United States chose to take action. This moment would become known as the …show more content…
There was not any single event that lead to the outcome of the battle, but many events built up to the outcome of Little Bighorn. Furthermore, both Americans and Sioux impacted the events of Little Bighorn, not just one group. They both played a part in the battle and the events leading up to it, which eventually caused Little Bighorn to end as it did. The proposal and signing of the Treaty of Fort Laramie set the stage for the entire Sioux War. This forced the Sioux into the Black Hills, or in the case of the Oglala Sioux, force them to lose their land. This caused a slight divide in the tribe’s choices, but would unify them in the end. After gold was discovered in the Black Hills tensions between the U.S. and the newly created Sioux Army rose tremendously. Eventually, the Sioux and the U.S. military decided to take action, and the Sioux War began, ending with the Battle of Little Bighorn. During the battle, Custer’s choices to led to disadvantages on the battlefield, and resulted in the annihilation of his troops on June 26th, 1876. As stated earlier, no one event was the sole reason for result of the Battle of Little Bighorn, but rather many events added up to its