"The responsibility of any nation, and the particular responsibility of elected officials of any nation, is not to justify what has passed for legality but to anticipate the conditions and problems of tomorrow and attempt to deal with them. The current confusion and violence in Indian Country are a result of the failure to do so by generations of elected officials in this country. To continue to perpetuate myths about American Indians which have no basis in fact or in law is merely avoiding the larger issues confronting the nations of the world," said author Vine Deloria, Jr. (Deloria, Prologue)

The United States government failed miserably in its attempt to deal with the Indians. By pushing them further and further West, they pushed the Indians to hate and distrust the white man to the point of war. These wars resulted in hundreds of white deaths. However, the wars resulted in the destruction of several entire Indian tribes and the near extinction of Indian spirit throughout America.

The tale is a sad one, one that Americans should not be proud of. After every broken treaty, the Americans blamed the Indians for existing, despite the

Small victories have been won as a result of the stamina of the Indians. In 1924, the Citizenship Act of 1924 naturalizes Indians born within the territorial limits of the U.S. (Internet Source 1) In 1934, the Indian Reorganization Act recognized tribal governments as sovereign nations. (Internet Source 1) South Dakota governor George S. Mickelson and representatives of the state's nine tribal governments proclaimed 1990 as a Year of Reconciliation. (Internet Source 1)

7. http://www.npac.syr.edu/users/gcf/homepage/projects/sioux/socexcrsioux.htm, April 20, 2001

The greatest effect that the U.S. government had on the Indians is not one that is easy to explain. They took something from these people no money, land, or compensation could ever replace. They broke the spirit of these people. The government forced them to attempt to start over. Many live out their lives clinging to the stories of the past. Life was so simplistic. In some ways, life was a utopia. The people worked for the food they ate and used all of the parts of the animals they hunted. All men were equal and honorable. God was the prime ruler of the lives of all Indians. Family bonds were strong. Weapons were used only as mechanisms of defense and for hunting purposes. Of course, there were wars, and there was crime but nothing like the wars and crime of today. The people had a sense of worth and spirit that can't even be imagined in today's technological society. The mountains talked to them and the streams had a voice and personality. Nature was respected and resources !

Rumors came to the Sioux that people were being starved on reservations. Those that did not starve inherited diseases due to close and unsanitary quarters; many of the Indians were mocked. The soldiers were thought of as overseers, not dignified and helpful aides to the Indians. They would be forced to work. The provisions, clothing and other goods, promised by the U.S. Government were nowhere to be found. They were being treated as hostels. The Sioux would not give into reservation life without a fight. And fight they did. They killed 224 of General Custer's men in The Battle of Little Bighorn, June 25, 1876. But, their victory was short lived. The betrayal that resulted was sickening. Crazy Horse, and Ogala Sioux, was assassinated. The Nez Perces were wiped out and Chief Joseph was said to have died of a broken heart shortly after.(Brown, 330)

The policy makers did not only want to control the Indians, but civilize them as well. The chiefs are thought to have agreed to these treaties not because they understood the provisions, but because a U.S. treaty tactic was to bribe them with a stock of presents waiting to be distributed after the signing. (Deloria, 177) War was also threatened if the Indians did not sign. Most of the time, the Indians ignored the treaties, not truly understanding the motives of the whites to tell them what they could and could not do. Moreover, just as the Indian chiefs could not make their people obey these treaties, the U.S. government could not make their own countrymen respect the treaties. "It must certainly appear evident that something must be done to keep those Indians quiet and nothing short of an efficient military force stationed in their country will do this," warned Fitzpatrick. (Utley and Washburn, 195) The U.S. government began forcing the Indians onto reservations. Sometimes t!

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By 1850 gold had been discovered in California, and white settlers were heading West to strike it rich and lay claim to the entire continent. (Utley and Washburn, page 163) New violence erupted as the white man moved into Indian hunting grounds. Ten percent of the Diggers in California met death violently. In 1846, California was home to 100,000 Indians. By 1851, the population had dropped to 30,000. (Utley and Washburn, 164) "That a war of extermination will continue to be waged until the India

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Indians Family, Indian Agent, Sioux Cheyenne, Utley Washburn, Alas Indians, Prologue United, Internet Source, Resource Tribes, Northern Cheyenne, Messiah Brown, utley washburn, sitting bull, wounded knee, source 1, internet source, united government, indian lands, despite efforts, internet source 1, thurman 1, wounded knee creek, tribal governments, indian lands lewis,
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Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)