What Events Caused the Massacre at Wounded Knee?
Essay: What Events Caused the Massacre at Wounded Knee?
On December 29, 1890 the United States Army opened fire at a group of three hundred Sioux men, women, and children. Commanded by Colonel James W. Forsyth, the Seventh Cavalry attempted to unarmed the Sioux when a shot rang out. The first gunshot led to many more, mostly from the Cavalry, who killed many defenseless people with a rage-like assault. At the time of the massacre, Lakota Sioux Indians were living peacefully on a reservation near their sacred homeland in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Chief Sitting Bull and his band returned from Canada under a promise of amnesty. Sitting Bull was a medicine man who practiced the Ghost Dance. The Ceremony was supposed to help free the Indians from the white men. The Ghost dance was started by an Indian holy man. During a total eclipse of the sun an Indian holy man named Wovoka received a message from the creator. The message said that soon a messiah would come and free the world from the white man. He and his followers performed what was known as the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance Movement spread like wildfire to other Native American tribes all over the United States. Although Wovoka and his followers had nonviolent intentions, the white men feared that this practice would spark a large scale Indian revolution. As the Ghost Dance Movement grew, it reached the Lakota Sioux. Local residents of South Dakota demanded that the Sioux stop the ritual. Being ignored, they called for assistance from the United States Army. Foreseeing that something bad was going to happen, Sitting Bull led several hundred Lakota Sioux off the reservation. When the Army caught up to them, the Sioux band agreed to be escorted to Wounded Knee Creek on The Pine Ridge Reservation. On December 28, 1890, the soldiers ordered the Indians to set up camp and stay the night. The soldiers planned to disarm the Indians the next day, December 29, 1890. During the process of disarming the
On December 29, 1890 the United States Army opened fire at a group of three hundred Sioux men, women, and children. Commanded by Colonel James W. Forsyth, the Seventh Cavalry attempted to unarmed the Sioux when a shot rang out. The first gunshot led to many more, mostly from the Cavalry, who killed many defenseless people with a rage-like assault. At the time of the massacre, Lakota Sioux Indians were living peacefully on a reservation near their sacred homeland in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Chief Sitting Bull and his band returned from Canada under a promise of amnesty. Sitting Bull was a medicine man who practiced the Ghost Dance. The Ceremony was supposed to help free the Indians from the white men. The Ghost dance was started by an Indian holy man. During a total eclipse of the sun an Indian holy man named Wovoka received a message from the creator. The message said that soon a messiah would come and free the world from the white man. He and his followers performed what was known as the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance Movement spread like wildfire to other Native American tribes all over the United States. Although Wovoka and his followers had nonviolent intentions, the white men feared that this practice would spark a large scale Indian revolution. As the Ghost Dance Movement grew, it reached the Lakota Sioux. Local residents of South Dakota demanded that the Sioux stop the ritual. Being ignored, they called for assistance from the United States Army. Foreseeing that something bad was going to happen, Sitting Bull led several hundred Lakota Sioux off the reservation. When the Army caught up to them, the Sioux band agreed to be escorted to Wounded Knee Creek on The Pine Ridge Reservation. On December 28, 1890, the soldiers ordered the Indians to set up camp and stay the night. The soldiers planned to disarm the Indians the next day, December 29, 1890. During the process of disarming the