KEY TERMS Key Terms and People to Know for the Regents Exam
Decline of the Plains Indians
The Transcontinental RR and Homestead Act brought settlers who occupied the land and killed the buffalo. Because they relied on the land and buffalo, the Plains Indians fought back, but they were continually defeated by the US Army.
Reservations
Although they won some battles, the defeated Native Americans were forced onto smaller and smaller reservations. The US government continually violated old treaties and forced the Native Americans onto smaller plots of land as settlers moved west.
Dawes Act
In an effort to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream culture, the Dawes Act divided tribal lands into individual plots to encourage private, “American style” farming. Native American children were sent to assimilation schools to be “Americanized.”