Wounded Knee Massacre

Definition

The Wounded Knee Massacre was a tragic event that occurred on December 29, 1890, when the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment attacked and killed hundreds of Lakota people, including many women and children, on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This massacre represented a devastating assault on American Indian life and culture during a period of intense government efforts to suppress Native American traditions and assimilate them into mainstream American society.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Wounded Knee Massacre was the final major armed conflict between the U.S. government and Native Americans, marking the end of the American Indian Wars.
2. The massacre occurred after the U.S. Army attempted to disarm a group of Lakota people who had been participating in the Ghost Dance movement, a spiritual revival that the government saw as a threat.
3. Estimates suggest that between 150 and 300 Lakota people were killed, including many women and children, making it one of the most devastating attacks on Native Americans in U.S. history.
4. The Wounded Knee Massacre was a tragic culmination of the U.S. government's efforts to suppress Native American culture and assimilate indigenous populations through policies like the Dawes Act.
5. The massacre sparked outrage and condemnation from the public, but it also marked the end of the American Indian Wars and the government's ability to use military force to subjugate Native American tribes.

Review Questions

• Describe the historical context and events leading up to the Wounded Knee Massacre.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred in the late 19th century, a period marked by the U.S. government's aggressive efforts to assimilate Native American tribes into mainstream American society. The Dawes Act of 1887 had already begun the process of breaking up tribal lands and encouraging individual land ownership, which threatened the traditional way of life for many Native Americans. In response, some tribes, such as the Lakota, participated in the Ghost Dance movement, a spiritual revival that the government saw as a threat to its assimilation policies. The U.S. Army's attempt to disarm a group of Lakota people engaged in the Ghost Dance led to the tragic confrontation at Wounded Knee, where hundreds of Lakota, including many women and children, were killed in one of the most devastating attacks on Native Americans in U.S. history.
• Analyze the significance of the Wounded Knee Massacre in the context of the U.S. government's assault on American Indian life and culture.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre represented the culmination of the U.S. government's efforts to suppress Native American traditions and assimilate indigenous populations into mainstream American society. The massacre occurred in the wake of the Dawes Act, which had already begun the process of breaking up tribal lands and encouraging individual land ownership, a direct threat to the traditional way of life for many Native Americans. The government's violent response to the Ghost Dance movement, a spiritual revival that it saw as a threat, demonstrated the lengths to which it was willing to go to enforce its assimilation policies. The tragic loss of life at Wounded Knee, including many women and children, underscored the devastating human toll of the government's assault on American Indian life and culture. The massacre marked the end of the American Indian Wars and the government's ability to use military force to subjugate Native American tribes, but it also represented a dark chapter in the history of the United States' treatment of its indigenous population.
• Evaluate the long-term impact of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the relationship between the U.S. government and Native American tribes.
  • The Wounded Knee Massacre had a profound and lasting impact on the relationship between the U.S. government and Native American tribes. The massacre represented the culmination of the government's aggressive efforts to suppress Native American culture and assimilate indigenous populations, a policy that had already eroded trust and goodwill between the two parties. The tragic loss of life at Wounded Knee, including many women and children, sparked outrage and condemnation from the public, further damaging the government's reputation and undermining its ability to enforce its assimilation policies through military force. The massacre marked the end of the American Indian Wars, but it also signaled the beginning of a new era of increased tensions and distrust between the government and Native American communities. The legacy of Wounded Knee continues to shape the complex and often fraught relationship between the U.S. and its indigenous peoples, serving as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of the government's historical assault on American Indian life and culture.

Related terms

Ghost Dance Movement: A spiritual movement that emerged among some Native American tribes in the late 19th century, which believed in the return of traditional ways of life and the eventual disappearance of white settlers from Native lands.

Dawes Act: A U.S. federal law passed in 1887 that aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by allotting communal tribal lands to individual Native American households, with the goal of breaking up tribal structures and encouraging private land ownership.

Assimilation: The process by which a minority group or culture comes to resemble a dominant group or adopt the traits of the dominant culture, often through government policies and social pressure.