American Indians During the Civil War

Bell Work

• Do you think Native Americans would be more likely to join sides with that Union or the Confederacy? Explain

Pre-War Issues

• Forced removal from territory to "Indian Territory" in 1830s-40s
• Inter-tribal divisions
• Poverty (no annuity payments/supplies)
• Constant threat of land removal (K-N Act made Indian Territory even smaller, illegal settlement, etc.)
• Not granted full rights/citizenship

Choosing a Side

• War mostly affected tribes living IN the warring states
• Tribes understood that aligning with the losing side posed a number of risks
• In some cases, individual tribes split to support opposing sides
• In total, about 28,000 Amer. Indians participated in the War

In the North

• Tribes had greater freedom to join Union or remain neutral

The Delaware Nation

• 1861 - Declared loyalty to Union
• Sent 170 of their 201 men to fight
• Most significant contribution = Sack of the Wichita Agency (Oct. 1862)
• Killed five Confederate agents, took $1200 in currency, 100 horses, and burned correspondence along with the Agency buildings.

The Pamunkey and Lumbee

• Pamunkey = served on naval warships
• Lumbee = members of North Carolina's 12th Volunteer Infantry

Company K

• Ottawa, Delaware, Huron Oneida, Potawami and Ojibwa.
• Major Contribution = Battle of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania
• Captured 600 Confederate troops

Dakota War of 1862

• Santee Sioux Uprising
• Government failed to pay treaty money and denied Sioux supplies
• Chief Little Crow led uprising, killing 13 American soldiers and wounding 47
• 300 Sioux were sentenced to death. Abe approved the hanging of 38
• No attention to the injustices American Indians faced on reservations

In the South

• Motivation for participating = many southern tribes owned slaves
• Ex. Choctaw alone had about 6,000 slaves in 1861
• Part of Confederate recruitment included PROMOSE of an Indian state in the Confederate States of America as well as full citizenship and government representation for tribe members.

Ely S. Parker

• Union General (Seneca)
• Wrote the final draft of the Confederate's Terms of Surrender

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Stand Watie

• Confederate General (Cherokee)
• Last Confederate General to surrender

Bell Work

• Why was Ely S. Parker a significant American Indian figure of the Civil War?

Today

• Issues leading up to Dakota War of 1862
• Examine the Dakota Expulsion Act of 1863
• Play an interactive game

The Dakota War of 1862

• 1640 - First encounter between French and Dakota/Sioux
• "Sioux" is a French mispronunciation of the Ojibwe word "Nadouwesou"
• Initially, French did little to alter Dakota way of life
• Significant change began in 1819

Fort Snelling - 1819

• Twin Cities, MN
• Military and Trading Post (Dakota fought with British in war of 1812)
• Traders and settlers flooded the area
• Dakota were pushed further west off their land
• A series of treaties soon followed that drastically effected the Dakota way of life

Significant Treaties

• 1837 - Dakota cede all land east of the Mississippi

Significant Treaties

• 1851 - Treaty of Traverse des Sioux and Mendota
• Dakota cede 35 million acres
• Promised annuity payments: 3 million over 50 years
• Forced to sign "Traders' Paper" - turned over most cash payments to traders
• Given a small strip of land - Reservation

Significant Treaties

• 1858 - Treaty with the Dakota
• Reservation is cut in half
• Given 30 cents per acre (Real value was $5 an acre)

1863 - Dakota Expulsion Act

• A federal law, it canceled all Dakota treaties and made it illegal for Dakota to live in the state of Minnesota.
• This law has never been repealed.

Tomorrow

• Note Quiz (study your notes!)
• Details of the Dakota War

Bell Work - Quick Write

• In your opinion, was Abraham Lincoln a hero for saving the lives of over 260 condemned Dakota, or a villain for approving the execution for 38 of them?
• Choose a side, provide support/reasons for your choice
• Write for about 4 minutes

Today

• Read article on Dakota Expulsion Act of 1863
• Answer reflection questions
• Homework: A more comprehensive quick write

Weekly Extra Credit Chances

• Once a week for the 4th quarter one student per class will have a chance to earn extra credit by participating in a fun game

This Week's Game: Rock or Roll?

• Identify whether the picture being shown is either Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, or a dinner roll

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Today

• Conclude our look at the Dakota War of 1862
• Examine modern-day consequences of the hangings and Expulsion Act
• Watch "Dakota 38" film
• Answer reflection questions - homework

The Grattan Affair

Background

• Sioux originally lived as Woodland tribes along Upper Miss. River
• Early 1700s - Chippewa begin to push them west
• Separated into 3 divisions: Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota
• Named for their dialects (Dakota = Santee, Nakota = Yankton, Lakota = Teton)

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Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851

• Signed between US Gov and multiple Plains tribes (including the Sioux)
• Under the treaty, Plains tribes had to: allow emigrants to safely travel West on the Oregon Trail and allow US to build roads and forts on their land
• US would pay tribes $50,000 over 50 years and recognize native land claims

Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851

• Treaty brought about a brief period of peace
• However...Crow never agreed to treaty, US failed to pay some tribes annuity payments, and US failed to keep settlers off tribal lands.
• The loss of a Mormon's cow in the summer of 1854 would lead to the first major battle btw US and Plains tribes

The Grattan Affair - Key Figures

• John Grattan
• Chief Conquering Bear
• Red Cloud
• William Harney
• Little Thunder
• As you read the passage, write the role each figure had in the conflict (notebook)
• After reading - answer reflection Q's