During the 19th century, the United States of America expanded greatly, pushing its land-based frontier north, south and west. This growth caused friction within the country and resulted in the American Civil War. We will look at these developments from a non-traditional aspect, focusing on the impact that this expansion had on Native Americans.
This course examines the history of Native Americans during the middle decades of the 19th century. Entering the 19th century there was policy of “civilisation”, the idea that Native Americans could be pulled away from their traditional way of life and become “American”. By the time of the election of Andrew Jackson in 1828, this policy had been abandoned, replaced by a policy known as “Removal” that forcibly removed thousands of native people from their land. We follow this policy through the lens of one native nation, the Cherokee, who refer to this action as ‘Nunna dual tsunyi’ – the Trail of Tears.
We will then examine the interaction and involvement of Native Americans in the American Civil War, highlight the role of native individuals who fought for both the north and south, as well as the disruption caused by the war amongst native communities. We then move on to the American plains to investigate the “Plains Indian Wars” touching on the lives of Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and General Custer. We conclude with a look at the imposition and implementation of the Reservation system that stole millions of acres of land and pushed Native Americans on to poor quality unproductive lands.
Learning outcomes
- To understand the role of conflict between Native Americans and the USA.
- To understand the changing policy of the USA towards Native Americans in 19th century America and its impact.
- To gain an understanding of different Native American nations in the 19th century.
