Tensions between Settlers and Plains Indians

Tensions between settlers and Plains Indians

• White settlers and Plains Indians both wanted American land- settlers wanted to farm it but the Plains Indians wanted to hunt its buffalo.
• Raiding was important for the survival of the tribes. When white settlers on the Oregon Trail got caught up in this, they often thought they were being attacked. Attacks from Indians on migrants were rare, yet white settlers told stories of being savagely attacked by Plains Indians, misunderstanding the Plains Indians' intention. This caused conflicts as the whites thought they were being attacked by tribes who were raiding each other.
• Most settlers thought being white was racially superior…