Sunday, October 14, 2018
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was one of the most respected American Indians of all time. He was respected by both Americans and Indians alike. How did he become such a celebrated American Indian?
Crazy Horse was a brilliant Strategist who took up arms against the US Federal forces in the Indian wars. He fought in several critical battles during the war and during many engagements incircled and outmaneuvered US troops. At the time a feat which was believed impossible for "savages" to accomplish. By far his greatest achievement was his engagement at the battle of little bighorn where he led his forces to victory in 1876.
The tragic fate of this as we know is that he won battles but sadly could never win the war. Outnumbered and outgunned the Sioux were on the retreat and began falling back to strongholds to prepare a final defense. During these skirmishes, Crazy Horse was captured by US Federal troops in 1876. 6 months into his capture he was bayoneted by an American Federal Trooper after. "Resisting". This is how his story ends. Sadly this is how most of the story of the American Indians ended. It is almost ironic then how romanticized the American Indians were at the time. Most Americans had high respect for them and believed they where almost equals. They believed that if they could integrate they could live in harmony. This however also somehow managed to exist with the blatant racism that the American public had. American Indians were deemed "Savages" barbarians which needed to be purified and purged in order to harness the land.
From our point of view, the past will always be horrific and vile. I often question what I and my fellow peers would do in the situation. For it is easy to say that "I would have fought against the system and saved the Natives" but in reality, it is so difficult to stand alone. Which is why I have such respect for the heroes of our past who truly fought for the American dream which was promised.
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I really enjoyed how you combined both a historical and factual summarization of a very important figure as well as your own reflection and take on what Crazy Horse means and thoughts about what you and your fellow classmates would do in that era.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described how significant Crazy Horse was to the Indian cause against the United States. It is sad how the government had to issue propaganda in order to further the idea that Indians were savages. Were there any popular institutions that spread the idea that Indians weren't savages during the time of Crazy Horse? I think it would be cool to see that some people had the motivation to stand up to such injustices.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, and I liked how you reflected upon the time period and the American public's perception of Indians. I believe that the racism against Indians was in part due to their very different culture and traditions (religion, language, etc.). Furthermore, those that desired westward expansion viewed Indians as an obstacle and needed to justify seizing the Indians' land and forcing them onto reservations.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post and learning more about the Native Americans in the time period we are studying. I think it is very important to remember their side of history. I appreciate that you included a little reflection at the end, relating the present day to the past.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading you post since you shared some insight on how crazy horse was a smart strategist instead of a brute. I think that it is important to show both sides of a conflict. Furthermore I liked how you summarized your blog with the relations that we can learn from the past.
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