Why did conflict grow between settlers and the Plains Indians, and how did the Indian Wars unfold?
The growing conflict over land and the buffalo, the broken treaties and reservation policy, key events including the Fort Laramie treaties, Little Bighorn in 1876 and Wounded Knee in 1890, and the reasons the US government defeated the Plains Indians.
A focused answer to the Plains Wars in OCR's Making of America period study, covering the growing conflict over land and the buffalo, broken treaties and the reservation policy, key events such as the Fort Laramie treaties, Little Bighorn in 1876 and Wounded Knee in 1890, and why the US defeated the Plains Indians.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point explains the conflict between settlers and the Plains Indians and the course of the Indian Wars. You need to understand why conflict grew (land, the buffalo, broken treaties, the reservation policy), the key events (the Fort Laramie treaties, Little Bighorn 1876, Wounded Knee 1890), and why the US government won. This is the tragic core of the period study.
Why conflict grew
Treaties and the reservation policy
Little Bighorn, 1876
Wounded Knee, 1890
Why the US government won
Try this
Q1. What happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The Sioux and Cheyenne under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse wiped out General Custer's force; it was the Plains Indians' last great victory.
Q2. Explain why the destruction of the buffalo helped defeat the Plains Indians. [Short explanation]
- Cue. The buffalo was the basis of their food, shelter, tools and economy, so its near-extermination destroyed their way of life, leaving them unable to resist and dependent on government reservations.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR SHP 20198 marksWrite a narrative account analysing the events that led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.Show worked answer →
The period study narrative question (8 marks). Reward a linked, analytical account showing how events led to the battle.
Stage one. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty promised the Sioux the Black Hills "forever", but when gold was discovered there in 1874, miners poured in and the government tried to buy or seize the land.
Stage two. When the Sioux and Cheyenne, led by figures such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, refused to move to reservations, the army was sent to force them.
Stage three. In June 1876 the US army advanced; General Custer, ignoring orders and underestimating the enemy, attacked a huge Native encampment on the Little Bighorn and his force was wiped out.
Top band. Link the stages (treaty, gold, refusal, army advance, Custer's attack) so each leads to the next, and conclude.
OCR SHP 202116 marks'The Plains Indians were defeated mainly because of the destruction of the buffalo.' How far do you agree with this statement?Show worked answer →
The period study extended judgement (16 marks; no SPaG on Paper 3 period study). Argue both sides with precise support and judge.
For the buffalo. The near-extermination of the buffalo (hunted for hides, sport and deliberately to starve the tribes) destroyed the basis of Plains Indian life, leaving them unable to resist and dependent on reservations.
Other factors. The army's relentless campaigns and superior numbers and weapons, the railroads (splitting the herds and moving troops), broken treaties and the reservation policy, and internal disunity among tribes all contributed.
Judgement. Weigh the loss of the buffalo against military, technological and political factors, concluding (for example) that the buffalo's destruction was decisive but worked together with army power and the railroads, with a supported judgement.
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