My reflection for this week was the fact people are just ver contradicting they treat people like horrible, but is that not the reason they all left to America a long time ago just crazy.
In the 1800’s the western wasn’t really busy. As I read on, there wasn’t a lot of people living in the states like North Dakota and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. Not even in Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Utah were barely touched. Until the Gold Rush of 1849. The rush sent literally hundreds and hundreds of people to the west to search for gold and get rich. This Gold Rush came in with some innovation and also migration, with the creation of more railroads, and more creations of windmills, and more things that ranchers and farmers use for their lifestyle. With all of that it came to the fact that over 250,000 Natives were forced to leave their homes and converted to a new place. This happened after 30 years of war. This war also came with a lame roll over of old treaties. I’m talking about one of the most toughest times in the Native history because they was here first. White people came over because they were tired of being treated badly. Yet, they come to America to treat people bad, like it so contradicting.
For example “Kill the Indian and Save the Man”. This happened in 1879, when Richard H. Pratt used education to uplift and assimilate into the mainstream of American culture. That year, 50 Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Pawnee arrived at his school. Pratt trimmed their hair, required them to speak English, and prohibited any displays of tribal traditions, such as Indian clothing, dancing, or religious ceremonies. Pratt's motto was "kill the Indian and save the man." For this there was a big fall in Indian population and much of the Indian land quickly fell into the hands of the white peoples.
Another example In 1877, during a meeting under a flag of truce in Fort Robinson, Nebraska, an American soldier killed Crazy Horse by stabbing him with a bayonet. This was after “The Battle of the Little Big Horn”.
Like I was saying previously they were and still are just so contradicting.
I agree that the expansion to the west and the gold rush spelled disaster for the Natives. The white people going west in the pursuit to strike it big caused the Natives to lose their land and to get their lives taken from them. This was just a continuation of the gennoacide started when whites started to settle in America all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteHey Ivan! I think I get what you're saying by everything being contradicting. It actually makes a lot of sense but I honestly think that one of the key factors our country is based off of, contradiction. definitely great acknowledgement of an ongoing issue!
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