CARD 5 - Indian Wars II
1637 - 1890
1637 Pequot War
There were many conflicts between the colonists and the Indians which led up to this major confrontation between the Pequot Indians and the settlers of the Pilgrim Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony. There were disputes over property, livestock damaging Indian crops, hunting, the selling of alcohol to Indians, and dishonest traders. Over 500 Indians were killed. The Pequots, once a powerful Indian nation, were destroyed.
1890 Wounded Knee
An Indian religious movement, the Ghost Dance, started in 1888. It was a frenzied dance in which dancers could see the future where the world would be theirs and they would see the return of their ancestors and dead buffalo. The dance also preached rejection of white culture and alcohol. The U.S. Army became alarmed at this trend and began to arrest Indian leaders. Chief Sitting Bull resisted arrest. A skirmish led to the chief and 14 others being killed.
Many Indians had tried surrendering their guns. A gun was accidentally discharged and shooting followed by the army. Between 150 and 300 Indians, mostly unarmed women and children, were killed.
