Chapter One, Surrounded by Enemies: The Apache way of life and Geronimo as a young…
Of the twelve troops of the Seventh Cavalry, Custer led five that hot Sunday into eternity and infamy at the battle of the Little Big Horn, and of his part of the regiment only one living thing escaped the deadly skill of the Sioux warriors. Bleeding from many arrow wounds, weak, thirsty and tired, there came straggling into the lines some days after the fight Keogh's splendid horse "Comanche". Who can ever even imagine the scene as the soldiers thronged around the gallant…
Dexter, Christian A. Review of Killing Custer: The Battle of Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians. By James Welch and Paul Stekler. New York: W.W Norton Company, 1994.…
Currently, the U.S is in a predicament similar to the fall of the Aztec Empire. After interference from outside sources the country is sparked into a war that causes a spiral of its economy downward. After the incident of 9/11 by Al-Queda we invaded Iraq and reinforced the lust for American blood by the the 3rd world countries. The war with Afghanistan raged on and during this time there was an impact on U.S citizen’s views on the citizens of 3rd world countries like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. U.S citizens became hostile toward dark skin colored people who wore headdresses similar to turbans, what Al-Queda members wore during 9/11 attack. Turbans and Hijabi are associated with a religion popular in these third world countries, but as Al-Queda…
One figure in Colonial American history that has captured the imagination of many historians and writers over the years is the Native American Tisquantum. The facts of this particular Indian’s life are perhaps the subject of more historical and literary speculation than any of his peers. He makes appearances of various extent in assorted historical records under a number of designations including Tisquantum, Squantum, Tifquantum, and Squanto (the anglicized and the most recognized version of his name). Tisquantum himself did not leave any written records and there is no single report that gives even a close to complete account of his life, therefore only a fragmentary narrative exists that has been constructed from various historical documents and conjecture.…
After Tecumseh’s death, the Indians lost their will to fight (Sugden). “During his life, Tecumseh’s political leadership, compassion and bravery attracted the respect of friends and foes alike, and in the time since, a mythology has developed around him that has transformed him into an American folk hero” (“Bio.com”). Although he was unsuccessful at achieving his goal, he is still remembered for his bravery and…
Geronimo displayed the core values of the Apache tribe, that of courage, diligence, and aggressiveness. These core values were what kept them relatively safe from the increasing white settlement of the west, including Arizona and New Mexico (theinitialjourney.com.) Aggressiveness, or assertiveness, and diligence are key aspects of a leader. A leader must be assertive as well as persistent in order to maintain a certain level of self-confidence and influence over those who are being led, even in the face of adversity. Geronimo was a great example of an assertive leader. Geronimo led the last major Native American Fighting force to surrender to the United States; thus having the longest resistance period. Upon the discovery that his mother, wife, and his three young children had been murdered by Spanish troops, he vowed to avenge his family by retaliating against as many Mexican settlements as possible. It was not until this time that he received his ‘power’ of seeing visions (Indigenouspeople.net.) It was because Geronimo held out the fight for so long, that he became the most famous Apache of all. By asserting himself and applying himself in order to uphold his values of family and justice, Geronimo became an essential force as medicine man, acting in and out of combat as a spiritual and intellectual leader of the people (not a chief.) He escaped from a reservation three times, the final time bringing thirty five warriors and one hundred nine women and children…
Celane’s retelling of Dewey Beard’s tale of the massacre at Wounded Knee is haunting because of the sheer inhumanity and brutality of it all. Dewey, his family, and approximately 300 other Indians were on a winter trek to Pine Ridge when they met up with the U.S. 7th Cavalry. The cavalry had orders to disarm the Indians but the Indians couldn’t understand the logic behind it. They needed those weapons to feed their families and to protect themselves. The soldiers lulled them into a false sense of security by offering them food and drink. They were starving so they obligingly took it.…
When the government could not levy punishment, it was up to the elites, militias and the army to do so in the name of “civilized order.” Government authorities went so far as to hang and/or decapitated criminals, leaving their bodies in public as an example of the consequences of crime [2]. Some of the most bloody conflicts in America was George Washington's campaign against the Indians. Washington had a wishy-washy attitude when it came to what he was going to do and how he was going to attempt reconciliation between the Indians and the colonists. On one side of the token he approached the situation with a mind set of equality, rights for the Indians and fairness, on the other side of the token he used “punishment and offensive operations” to advance the westward migration [State of the Union p515]. However, when diplomatic efforts failed, Washington had no problem asserting his control via violent conquest. The highest death count of American soldiers occurred during November of 1789 when both General Harmar and General St lair were defeated by Little Turtle. Expansion with Honor, a concept that Washington wanted to displace the Indians “with honor” was finally enacted when General Wayne defeated Little Turtle at Fallen Timbers [Lecture wk 6]. Although Washingtons goal was to “gradually integrate the natives” because was…
Although often viewed as inferior, savage and helpless, many historians are starting to discover the intelligence and wisdom the Indians had and shared with the colonists that came to America so long ago. As the settlers slowly began to create a new world on the already inhabited North America, they were plagued with starvation due to a severe drought in the area. Due to the dry lands and the settlers expectations to “rely on Indians for food and tribute,” (Norton 17) they were disappointed to find that the Indians were not so keen to handing out food and help to the strangers that have just come onto their land and begun to settle in such a time of severe weather and starvation. As time goes on, both the Indians and the Englishmen realize they both have what the other needs; tools from the white men and crops, land and knowledge from the Indians. As a result, the chief of Tsenacomoco, Powhatan, and colonist, Captain John Smith on an ideally peaceful, mutualistic relationship to ensure the survival of both civilizations. This agreement will leave the groups in cahoots for 100 of years leading to some disastrous scenarios and betrayals.…
The city of Colosse was located in the province of Phrygia; before the Christian era the city of Colosse was a principle city the Lycus Valley. Being part of a major trade route in Asia Minor from Ephesus to Miletus, the city was known for its production of textiles, especially in its purple wool. Larger cities such as Laodicea and Hierapolis, made it a well-populated and high business area in the Lycus Valley. With great changes in the road system Laodicea became a more important trade city than Colosse. Once a great city by AD 61 Colosse suffered a great deal, an earthquake shook the city that year, Euseblus writes, and had disappeared from the literature of its day. The history of this once great city is significant in that the great Apostle Paul wrote to the church which had been established in Colosse. False teaching had infiltrated the church and Paul’s connection with the minister (Epaphras), and others he was acquainted with had made known the danger of this teaching that would eventually destroy the faith of the Christians there, many say that Epaphras was the man who founded the church, but evidence and history show us that Paul visited the region and the major cities often. Paul writes to a specific problem affecting the church in Colosse, it is not agreed upon what exactly the problem was but there are many possibilities as scholars who have written on the subject. The heresy often referred to as the “Colossian Heresy” has been questioned and debated as to who may have been responsible for the false teachings. Cliff Baird goes even further to say it is not necessary to conclude the existence of cohesive heresy in order to explain the facts. J. B. Lightfoot offers an interesting comment to the situation, while he does recognize the Judaizing and early Gnostic influences, he believed there was no…
Did you know that the Shawnee Indian tribe is a fascinating tribe? I recently have learned that they are nomads. Nomads are people who travel instead of settling in one place. Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania were a couple of states they once lived in. Until around 1660 Iroquois drove out the tribe to southern Carolina, Tennessee’s Cumberland basin, eastern Pennsylvania, and southern Illinois. They had tried to return, but again they were forced to leave by American settlers. The settlers pushed them first to Missouri and then to Kansas, but the Shawnee people settled in Oklahoma after the Civil War.…
Tecumseh was a Native American who led the Shawnee Tribe in present day Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. He was born in 1768 in South Ohio and grew up not only to be the chief of the Shawnee Tribe but a warrior who participated in many wars; such as The Battle of 1812 and The Battle of Tippecanoe.…
Thesis: Modern Native American traditions reflect the history of struggle, strife and triumph they experienced in history.…
"My People the Sioux" is a good literary work written in 1928. This book leaves an everlasting impression with some because it definitely intensifies the sympathy for the Indians. Luther Standing Bear, also known as Plenty Kill, portrays the dramatic and traumatic changes about the Sioux throughout their traditional way of life. As a young boy growing up, he experienced many of these hardships first hand between his people and the whites. This autobiography is quite valuable as it helps allow us to envision what really happened in the battling times of the Indians. Luther stated this quote, which to me, is unforgettable and very well said. It reads:…