Essay Questions

Why were the Indians relocated?

The main reason why the violence escalated between the Indians and the soldiers was because the government tried to force the Indians to relocate and to leave their ancestral lands behind. There were many reasons why the soldiers and the US government tried to convince the Indians to move. One of the main reasons was that the Indians were occupying territory rich in natural resources. Because many Indian tribes lived near the most important rivers in the country, massive amounts of gold were found on their territories. The US government could not get that gold since people were living on the land above it. Because the Indians did not wanted to allow the US government to exploit their lands, they decided to approach the situation from a more violent manner. Another reason why they wanted to relocate the Indians was because they wanted to build railroads, to extend their territory and build new settlements in different parts of the country. Since the railroads had to pass through territory owned by the Indians and since the Indians did not approve of them, they had to relocate them.

What conditions were included in the peace treaties between the Indians and the US Government?

It is mentioned that time and time again, both the US soldiers and the Indian tribes failed to meet the conditions of the treaties they signed. Through the treaties, the US Government tried to convince the Indian tribes to give up their lands. In exchange for their lands, the Indian tribes would then be relocated to new lands, reservations where they will have to stay. Many treaties implied that the Indians were not to leave the reservations and the soldiers were not to trespass onto the new Indians territories. The Indians also wanted the right to trade with various Forts and to be given guns. Unfortunately, the US commanders failed time and time again to meet those demands and because the Indians were given harsh lands to live on, they were forced to break the treaties to go on other lands and to hunt in order to survive. Also, the US soldiers refused to meet the conditions set in the treaties and they often did not keep their end of the bargain.

What actions carried out by the US soldiers could be considered as being cruel and unjust?

Up until recent times, it was generally believed that the ones who were cruel during the altercations between the US soldiers and the Indians were the Indian tribes that would just randomly enter various white settlements and kill every white person they could find. History proved that those actions were true only when the Indians were provoked by the US soldiers who would treat them as animals. More than once, the US soldiers targeted women and children in particular and killed them without remorse. Entire villages without worriers were wiped out by the US soldiers and thousands of Indians died during the forced re-locations. During those re-locations, the people who were unable to walk were killed instead of helped and the others were treated with cruelty. Keeping in mind these actions, it is no wonder that the Indians acted in a violent way and tried to get revenge on the white soldiers.