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3/27/16
P.2
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the lives on the Plain Indians were
negatively impacted by technological developments and government actions.
The technological developments by the United States negatively affected the
Plains Indians. The creation of the transcontinental railroad moved the Native
Americans away from their living area. The construction of the railroad required people
to live near the site to build it. The railroad took away from the land that the Native
Americans rightfully owned. When people started coming out west on the railroad they
took most of the Indians land and realized that the buffalo can bring them a lot of
money. The buffalo in the main resource for the Indians lifestyle. It is already bad
enough that the Americans took their land but they are also killing off their food source,
completely destroying the Indians way of life.
The Homestead Act gave 160 acres of free land to anyone willing to move out
west with a few restriction. This act took land that the Indians owned and resided on
away to any willing American. This increased tension between the Indians and the
Americans. The Indian removal act forces Indians to move from their homeland and go
somewhere completely different. Indians had a hard time adjusting to life and in
reaction to the act, many Indians fought to protect and keep their land. An example of
this is the Battle of Little Big Horn. Another act that negatively impacted Indians was the
Dawes Act. The U.S. government thought trying to push a completely different lifestyle
on the Indians would reduce tension but failed to do so. Overall, government actions
for expansion in the west and against Indians completely changed the lives of Indians.
In conclusion, technological advancements and government cations negatively
affected the lives of Plain Indians in the late 1800s.