Native Americans vs Immigrants: The Little Big Horn Battle, 1876 - Essay Sample

Introduction

The presence of different races in the US emanating from the massive immigration of Indians, Chinese, Mexicans, and African Americans, among others, created a feeling of insecurity among Native Americans (the whites). As a result, civil wars erupted because of racial discrimination as whites treated immigrants inhumanly. The document on the little Big Horn's battle, 1876 by Katie Bighead, demonstrates the ugly outcomes of civil war inflicted by the whites. Katie is a Cheyenne woman who recounts how she witnessed the brutality of the white soldiers led by Commander Custer. The soldiers attacked and inhumanely killed and chased the Indians from the lands. She states, "our chief black kettle and other Cheyennes, many of them women and children, were killed that day" (35). This document illustrates the period when the US was facing the problems of balancing racial diversity and democracy.

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Cheyenne's document further indicates that, in some cases, the unity of the oppressed can lead to catastrophic events. Katie Bighead narrates that she enjoyed watching men fight and states that in the second war, Indians used bows and arrows that killed many whites, including the commander, Custer. Noteworthy, there is a resemblance between the theme of civil wars in the article "Katie Bighead (Cheyenne) Remembers Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn, 1876” and the document “The Frontier as a Place of Ethnic and Religious Conflict” written by Patrick Limerick. The article shows many scenarios of racial and ethnic discrimination in the US. Lameck states, “army of Arizona civilians descended on a peaceful camp and massacred over one hundred Apaches, mostly women, and children"(44). This battle had narrowed down to ethnic groups as Anglo-Americas, Hispanics, and Papao Indians gunged up against Apaches. The killings happened during the time of the frizzing of the frontier expanding ethnic confrontations.

The document of the “Battle of the Little Big Horn, 1876s” also demonstrates the need to accommodate minority groups in a country of diverse races. Katie narrates that after the white soldiers killed many of her people and burned properties forcing them to flee, the commander followed them again, not for war but made peace with elders. This was a good sign that Indians and whites could work together. Additionally, Katie states, "My cousin, a young woman named Me-o-tzi, went often with him to help in finding the trails of Indians" (36). This relationship between Custer army commander and this Indian lady eliminated racial discrimination and the civil war. Even when the commander later broke the promise and died, the Sioux showed some mercy by not cutting his body. The author tries to prove that peace and honesty are fundamental tools to avoid civil wars.

The theme of racial accommodation is also observed in the article “The Frontier as a Place of Ethnic and Religious Conflict” by Patrick Limerick. He shows that the whites in Western America struggled with deciding whether to assimilate immigrants, particularly the blacks. He states, “Was it better to deal with them through assimilation or exclusion" (45). After realizing the massive growth of the immigrant population, civil wars could no longer help, and the whites gradually accommodated these migrants even though the whites were still superior. The white supremacy still favored the Native Americans; for instance, they did not allow blacks and Mexicans to vote. Additionally, judges like Murray prohibited ethnic groups like the blacks from testifying in courts to protect the majority. The white supremacy also restricted blacks from living in some regions such as Oregon. However, all these scenarios were happening as the Americans were working on fair plans to accommodate minorities ending civil wars. Significantly Mormons massively contributed to the end of civil wars by encouraging the growth of religion among communities.

Work Cited

Cobbs, Elizabeth & Blum, Edward J. Major Problems in American History, Volume II 4th.Cengage learning:2017.