Question

The Indian conflicts in the West—especially in the Great Plains—arose because Native Americans and settlers had completely different ways of life. Write a paragraph describing how both groups used the land, and explain how their ways of life conflicted.

Answer 1

Native American tribes, including the Omaha, Oto, Missouri, Pawnee, Arapaho and Cheyenne, all ceded (gave up) land in Nebraska to the U.S. government. In all, there were 18 separate treaties between 1825 and 1892 in Nebraska alone. These treaties were a part of a much larger pattern of land transfers that allowed an explosion of European settlement. By 1850, the tribes had seen more people moving through along the Platte River. The Homestead Act, which gave free land to settlers, meant that large numbers of immigrants were now going to stay in the area. In this section, there are two major stories about Native Americans during the settlement period. First, there is the story of how native people met the challenges of living on this plains landscape. And second, there is the story of conflict as more and more people tried to live on the same land.