The Americans believed in the ownership of land which clashed with the Native Americans believe of sharing. Trying to distribute the land that they technically didn’t even own, caused many disputes and ultimately the decline of Native American societies.
Civil war
The civil war created a battle grounds among the west between the whites and Indians and between the Indians and Indians.
There were some Indians that owned slaves themselves this caused a division between which sides the Indians fought on.
The mining front
In the 1850 the mining frontier broke out, and everyone started moving west to look for gold and other expensive minerals such as silver, zinc copper, lead.
More railroads were built to bring more people.
The homestead act of 1862 allowed any person over 21 or soon to be citizen to own 160 free acres of land if he resided in it for 5 years and improved it. The government giving away free land of course encouraged more movement westward forcing out the Indians. Or more so forcing them into future reservations.
Timber Culture act of 1873 allowed farmers with the already 160 free acres to take out papers on another 160 adjacent acres if they agreed to plant trees on portions of it, because they believed the trees would bring rain for better soil. Many farmers ignored the tree policy making the whole thing a waste.
Buffalo killed out
Though was not deliberate the slaughtering of the buffalo, greatly injured the Native Americans Nomadic ways. They turned to the buffalo for food, clothing, teepees, fuel for fires by their droppings, and for string and cord.
During the 1870’s buffalo hunting became a major industry which soon brought their demise. By 1883 13 million animals had been destroyed, when an eastern museum expedition arrived on the plains that year to obtain live specimens for its collection, it only found 200 animals still alive.
Without their buffalo The native Americans were forced to turn to hand outs by the government....