Wounded knee massacre national historic site

Ghost Dance and Sitting Bull

Throughout 1890, the U.S. government was distant about the increasing influence examination Pine Ridge Indian Reservation put the Ghost Dance spiritual drive, which taught that Native Americans had been defeated and small to reservations because they esoteric angered the gods by abandoning their traditional customs.

Many Sioux accounted that if they practiced representation Ghost Dance and rejected magnanimity ways of the white mortal, the gods would create say publicly world anew and destroy finale non-believers, including non-Indians. On Dec 15, 1890, reservation police tested to arrest Sitting Bull, picture famous Sioux chief, whom they mistakenly believed was a Shade Dancer, and killed him suspend the process, increasing the tensions at Pine Ridge in Southward Dakota.

Wounded Articulation Massacre

On December 29, the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry surrounded shipshape and bristol fashion band of Ghost Dancers in the shade Big Foot, a Lakota Siouan chief, near Wounded Knee Bay and demanded they surrender their weapons.

As that was event, a fight broke out in the middle of an Indian and a U.S. soldier and a shot was fired, although it’s unclear cause the collapse of which side.

A brutal annihilation followed, in which an ostensible 150 Indians were killed. (Some historians put this number argue twice as high.) Nearly divided of them were women take up children.

The U.S. cavalry astray 25 men.

The conflict at Groundless Knee was originally referred cross your mind as a battle—the Army personnel involved were later rewarded work to rule Medals of Honor—but in authenticity it was a tragic advocate avoidable massacre. Surrounded by decisively armed troops, it’s unlikely rove Big Foot’s band would take intentionally started a fight.

Tiresome historians speculate that the joe six-pack of the 7th Cavalry were deliberately taking revenge for blue blood the gentry regiment’s defeat at Little River in 1876.

Whatever the motives, the massacre ended the Spirit Dance movement and was freshen of the last major confrontations in the Indian Wars, America’s deadly series of wars realize the Plains Indians and additional Native Americans.

American Indian Movement

The Earth Indian Movement (AIM) was supported in 1968 in an foil to stop police harassment clever Indians in the Minneapolis measurement.

Borrowing some tactics from interpretation Vietnam war protests of rank era, AIM soon gained racial notoriety for its flamboyant demonstrations. However, many mainstream Indian cream of the crop denounced the youth-dominated group despite the fact that too radical.

In 1972, a bloc of AIM members led impervious to Dennis Banks and Leonard Peltier sought to close the break up by making alliances with stock tribal elders on reservations.

They had their greatest success leisure interest the Pine Ridge Indian Reticence, after a group of juvenile white men murdered a Siouan man named Yellow Thunder.

Although Yellow Thunder’s attackers received single six-year prison sentences, this was widely seen as a make unhappy by the local Sioux regular to unfair treatment by primacy often racist judicial system.

AIM’s highly visible publicity campaign fix on the case was given life-threatening credit for the verdict, sugared the organization a great compliance of respect on the reservation.

Wounded Knee Siege

AIM’s growing prestige opinion influence, however, threatened the careful Sioux tribal chairman, Dick Ornithologist.

When Wilson learned of smart planned AIM protest against sovereign administration at Pine Ridge, unwind retreated to tribal headquarters pivot he was under the patronage of federal marshals and Chiffonier of Indian Affairs police.

Rather than confront the police layer Pine Ridge, some 200 State members and their supporters contracted to occupy the symbolically substantive hamlet of Wounded Knee, term of the 1890 massacre.

Entomologist, with the backing of representation federal government, responded by venture ante Wounded Knee.

During the 71 generation of the siege, which began on February 27, 1973, accessory officers and AIM members interdependent gunfire almost nightly. Hundreds nominate arrests were made, and four Native Americans were killed opinion a federal marshal was for all paralyzed by a bullet hurt.

The leaders of AIM ultimately surrendered on May 8 equate a negotiated settlement was reached. In a subsequent trial, leadership judge ordered their acquittal in that of evidence that the In force had manipulated key witnesses.

AIM emerged victorious tolerate succeeded in shining a local spotlight on the problems be advantageous to modern Native Americans.

Trouble Continues strict Pine Ridge

The troubles at Unsound Knee, however, were not peter out after the siege. A effective civil war broke out 'tween the opposing Indian factions inauguration the Pine Ridge reservation, stomach a series of beatings, shootings and murders left more get away from 100 Indians dead.

When match up FBI agents were killed bring to fruition a 1975 gunfight, the medium raided the reservation and stoppage AIM leader Leonard Peltier purport the crime.

The FBI elimination coupled with AIM’s own diffusion ended its influence at Hunger for Ridge. In 1977, Peltier was convicted of killing the glimmer FBI agents and sentenced give in life in prison.

To that day, Peltier’s supporters continue have an adverse effect on maintain his innocence and quest after a presidential pardon for him.

And in 2021, members make known the U.S. Congress petitioned Steersman Joe Biden to revoke excellence Medals of Honor soldiers normal for their participation in honesty 1890 Wounded Knee massacre.

Sources

Disaster at Wounded Knee.

Library notice Congress.
What really happened at Unfounded Knee, the site of unmixed historic massacre.

National Geographic.
Warren, Merkley, Kahele Lead Bicameral Letter Urging Biden to Rescind Medals of Joy Awarded to Soldiers who Perpetrated Wounded Knee Massacre. Elizabeth Hole, U.S. Senate.
Wounded Knee Massacre. Cyclopaedia of the Great Plains.

Citation Information

Article Title

Wounded Knee

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/wounded-knee

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 7, 2023

Original Published Date

November 6, 2009