The 1800s and the Native American Plains Indians essays

The 1800s and the Native American Plains Indians essays In the latter half of the 19th century, the United States government began to take actions that would ultimately limit the presence and culture of Native Americans in the Great Plains region. These government actions were often corrupt in how they prompted mistreatment of the Plains Indians while serving as advantageous for Americans. New inhabitants of the Plains region viewed the land as a resource for production and thus adopted a selfish approach in which the landscape would be used for commercial purposes only. Consequently, the Plains Indians were often abused and taken advantage of. Simultaneously, at a time when agricultural development was evolving, technological developments helped drive the Native Americans back. New advancements in technology, such as the Transcontinental Railroad, promoted settlement in the Great Plains region. Thus, the encroachment of Indian land became habitual for newcomers. In one way or another, both technology and government actions led to the ultimate downfall of Native American culture and society in the Great Plains. Likewise, the lives of the Great Plains Indians would forever be transformed. The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, wielded tremendous economic and political power throughout the West. Moreover, the rapid settlement of the West could not have taken place without the railroad. More than 2 million Europeans, many recruited by professional promoters, settled the Great Plains between 1870 and 1900. Along with providing transportation links between the East and the West and potential markets as distant as China, the Western railroads directly encouraged settlement. While this would make trade and communication more efficient, it was bad news for the Native Americans. The Plain Indians knew that the institution of the railroad would bring white settlers to the Plains and would result in the encroachment of their land. The railroad essentially changed the land. Its construct...