Discrimination against Buffalo Soldiers and Native Americans

Essential Question:  Was the discrimination that the Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans faced intentional or did the White settlers and federal government actually believe that what they were doing was just?

       For the last few weeks of school, the class has adapted to a new procedure than that of our usual.  It begins with someone creating a Google Doc and then sharing it with everyone in the class.  Then we create an essential question, analyze the given primary and secondary sources on the topic, and watch videos.  All the while we take notes on our assigned section for everyone to then learn the information.  

      We began last week with learning about the Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans who were discriminated against greatly.  The government thought that it would be best to allow Americans to expand westward into Native American territory, enforcing them to evacuate by using total war tactics against them.  Also, Shaman flooded the area with troops in attempt to wipe the remaining Native Americans out.  This meant that they had to leave their homes where they had lived their entire lives in comfort and tradition to go farther west and into other unknown territories.  




                                     
Image of the Buffalo soldiers.   http://www.buffalosoldiersw.com/id7.html





      After this arrangement of forcing them out of their territories, new laws were enforced upon the Native Americans and Buffalo soldiers.  Carlyle schools were created to educate the Native Americans and Indians were encouraged to leave behind their roots and to blend in with the Americans.  Everybody believed that the Natives should be assimilated into society.  The Native American's land was split up and sold for use.  

     The discrimination toward the buffalo soldiers and Native Americans was intentional because the white settlers and government knew that "assimilating" an entire ethnicity of people and their way of life was wrong, but proceeded to do so.  They did this because they wanted everyone to be the same and for there to not be any differences.  Also, because they wanted to extend the boundaries for more civilization and make use of the land for themselves.