Plain Indians

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  • Created by: ellyjah9
  • Created on: 23-11-16 15:46

Key Information

 Was the lack of unity among the Indians the most important reason for their defeat in the Battle for The Great Plains?

(First paragraph must be brief and must relate to the factor in the question.)

Model sentence: The lack of unity amongst the Indians does explain their defeat, however it is not the only factor.

Remember...
The question can be worded differently, depending on the factor in the question. For example, the question can be worded like this, 'Was the fact that the American army were better equipped the main reason for the Indians losing the Great Battle of the Plains?' or 'Was the destruction of the buffalo the main reason for the end of Indian culture and lives on the Plains?'

Both these questions simply mean, 'Why did the Indians lose?' however, one important thing to remember is that the factor in the question must be the first factor you talk about in the essay.

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Lack of unity

Lack of unity meant that the Indians lost the Battle of the Great Plains because...

Traditionally, Indian tribes are independent and fought against each other; they were not used to working together as one nation so they were easy to defeat as Americans outnumbered them. Also, this is made worse by the fact that they did not have one leader to inspire them all because traditionally, each tribe had their own Chief who managed them. During the Plains Wars, the only Indian leaders to inspire all were Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull - however, not all Indian tribes followed them therefore they lacked unity and strength. Thus this was why the Indians lost the battle. Finally, Indian attitude to war was very different to the USA and explains why they were defeated. Indians fight for bravery using their coop stick to touch the enemy, but not kill them. Also they did not fight in large numbers to kill but only to steal momentos like horses. This put them at a disadvantage when fighting the Americans, ultimately leading them them to lose the Battle of the Great Plains.

(Remember to always link back to the question after each factor has been explained using key points and evidence to support.)

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American Army Tactics/Style of Warfare

However there were other factors...

Firstly, the American army tactics meant they defeated the Indians because this was their style of warfare that suited traditional battles. Their army was large, disciplined with excess weapons that outnumbered the Indians. The USA army also had strategies like Total War and Winter Campaign which were strategies that made it easy to defeat the Indians because both strategies deprived Indians of their resources and food, or attacked them when they were weakest which made them easier to beat. Also, the Americans had inspiring leaders like Sheridan who had battle experience and the USA army had forts all over the country meaning they were well supplied with weapons and men hence why they won and the Indians lost the battle. 

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Destruction of the Buffalo

Secondly, the destruction of the buffalo meant the Indians lost the battle of the Plains because...

The buffalo was a central part to all parts of their lives. Without the buffalo, the Indians couldn't provide food, shelter and supplies for their people. The USA government knew killing the buffalo would have made the Indians dependant on them for hand-outs so they paid exterminators to kill buffalos. This dependency on the US government broke the Indians' commitment and morale to fight so they were east to defeat and lost. 

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The Reservations

Finally, the reservations made the Indians lose the battle of the Great Plains because...

They limited where the Indians could move and stopped them from being nomadic because the reservations got smaller as new settlers such as the Homesteaders started living on the Plains and the government issued Acts that allowed them to do this. Furthermore, the reservations broke the Indians' spirit by eradicating their culture, banning dances, as well as stopping tribe structure and their language being spoken. This was due to children being removed from reservations, away from their families. They were taken from their families and made American by being taught how to act, speak and dress; to abandom their culture and heritage. They were taught to how to speak English, be proper gentlemen or women by not being what Americans perceived as 'savages'. As of the impact of this plus the many broken American treaties the Indians lost their morale and gave up the Plains, losing the great and final battle. 

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The Conclusion

The conclusion must be brief but concludes judgement and provides good evidence and a short explanation for this.

Model conclusion (memorise this):

Overall, the most important factor was the American army's tactics because they had more advanced weapons and used strategies such as Total War and Winter Campaign to target the Indian's weakness and cause them to lose the battle of the Great Plains.

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