The Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)

The Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)

• There was nothing for Indians to eat. Cholera killed 1/2 of the Norhtern Cheyennes. Herds were driven away by migrants. Tribal raiding was worse due to competition for food.
• The reason for the Fort Laramie Treaty was to convene all tribal leaders so they could stop conflicts. Also they needed to stop white settlers from getting attacked.
• There were many problems with the treaty: some tribes refused to come, some tribal leaders saw through how the whites wanted to contain the tribes, the Lakotas refused to give up lands they had stolen, in August 1854, a calf strayed from a Mormon train, and it was shot, so 30,000 men marched into the camp, attacking the Indians who killed all the American soldiers. Also. Indians didn't trust white settlers, and the tribes didn't know what they were signing up to due to language issues.
• The US offered Indians $50,000 to stop attacking white settlers and to allow the whites to build forts. The Lakotas kept stolen lands, and the Americans chose chiefs to sign for treaties
• The treaty was written in English, and there weren't enough translators to ensure that representatives cound understand it.
• Som tribes did not attend, and most who did attend were interested in government…