Wounded Knee - Battle or Massacre?

Paper Summary:

This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of Wounded Knee in American history. Specifically the paper discusses whether the conflict was a battle, as it was first known, or a massacre as it is now being called. The Battle of Wounded Knee was the last major battle between Native-Americans and whites. According to the paper, it was a tragic time in American history, and a lasting reminder of how the Indians lost their way of life, their dignity, and their homes, all due to white aggression and displacement.

From the Paper:

"The Battle of Wounded Knee took place on December 29, 1890 near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. A large group of Sioux Natives had gathered by the Creek, and the U.S. Army wanted to break up the gathering, because they felt the group was engaging in the religious dance called the Ghost Dance, which they felt was dangerous because it created unrest among the Natives. The soldiers began to separate the women and children from the men, and during this separation, someone fired a shot. It is not known who fired it. One historian writes, "In the chaos that followed, soldiers gunned down and stabbed Sioux men, women, and children. Some who did not die instantly crawled away only to freeze to death in the coming blizzard" (Johnson). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allen, Charles W. From Fort Laramie to Wounded Knee: In the West That Was. Ed. Richard E. Jensen. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1997
• Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. An Indian History of the American West. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2001.
• Coleman, William S. E. Voices of Wounded Knee. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2000.
• Green, Jerry, ed. After Wounded Knee. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1996.
• Johnson, Andrew. "Wounded Knee, 1890: Historical Evidence on Trial in the Classroom." Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 28.2 (2003): 59+.

More papers on Wounded Knee - Battle or Massacre?:

• Research Paper # 74839 : "Ghost Dance and Wounded Knee"
• Book Review # 117987 : "Ghost Dancing the Law: The Wounded Knee Trials"
• Essay # 31764 : "Wounded Knee"

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