Indian Wars
Indian Wars pertain to the period of conflicts between the American government and the natives of North America. The Indian War period is believed to occur between 1866 and 1890. Signs of conflict however between the natives and the English colonists were noticeable in as early as Pequot of War of 1637, when colonists participated in military rivalries among Indian nations.
The Indian Wars were spurred by the English Colonist's desire for territorial expansions, at the same to maintain colonial security. The Colonists expanded westward to build more homes or to join in the gold rush in California or Idaho or Montana.
On the part of the American Indians, they resented the massive migration of Euro-Americans in the west because it encroached upon their way of life. American Indians wanted the white men to stay away from Indian territories and not to disrupt their main source of living which was buffalo hunting.
These requests however fell on deaf ears as white men expanded to their territories and cut a path that divided the Indian hunting grounds in the Plains. As the pioneer's way of life declined, the animosity between them and the white men grew.
The first war erupted June 1866 when Red Cloud, the leader of the Oglala Sioux, started a negotiation with the military at Fort Laramie regarding the decision allowing emigrants to reside on the final grounds used largely for hunting by the great Sioux.
The negotiations failed. Red Cloud then sent Indian war parties that assaulted the emigrants and army. This signaled the start of the infamous Indian Wars. The long war comprised several wars including King Philip's War, King William's War, and Queen Anne's War, the Wounded Knee massacre and "closing" of the American frontier in 1890.
The wars led to some drastic consequences. Thousands of lives perished. The Indians particularly suffered the worst fate as they were driven out of their lands and white men expanded into their once-held territories. American Indians were effectively subdued in the process and were forced to settle in Indian reservations.
