Differences Between The Cheyenne Nation And The United States

War or Peace:

Does it Matter? The ongoing troubles in the world of Native Americans all had measurable effects. They were forced from their homelands and driven to the brink of extinction by not having access to the resources they once had. Different leaders took different paths to gain resolutions from encroaching settlers and the growing nation that was imposing its will upon them. Chief Black Kettle of the Cheyenne tried to take the peaceful path when dealing with white settlers (Weiser). Kicking Bear of the Sioux fought battles to prevent displacement and oppression (Kicking). While the methods that the two used were polar opposites, the results that they achieved were very similar in regards to how they were treated and how their tribes were inevitably dealt with by the government of the United States. Chief Black Kettle strived to maintain peace between the Cheyenne Nation and the United States. He was a firm believer in the fact that showing a peaceful demeanor would benefit them more in the long run. Chief Black Kettle states, “All we ask is that we have peace with the whites” (Weiser). He did not wish to expose his people to war when one was not needed. He enjoyed peace under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 up until gold was discovered in and around the area of Pikes Peak (Weiser). With

They did this “by demanding that the Southern Cheyenne sign a new treaty ceding all their lands except the Sand Creek reservation in southeastern Colorado” (Weiser). Most people might consider this to be an outrageous act and not willingly sign it. How could one give up the land that they love without even trying to, at the very least, counter the demands made in the treaty? Chief Black Kettle proved how when he signed the new treaty without asking for new terms, fearing that any new terms brought forth would be worse than the ones prior