The Next Day : Arrival to Dawes (Part 1)

Episode 3 of our series continues to explore the story of the Lakota which became much more complicated with the arrival of Europeans to Keya Wita.

Part 1 of the episode begins an in-depth look at the process of colonization that can be said to have started with the Doctrine of Discovery. After investigating our first interactions with European migrants as well as the intermarriage that followed, it discusses the notion of Manifest Destiny and its entrenchment in U.S. federal policy. It then turns to the so-called "Indian Wars" and the Fort Laramie Treaties which happened amidst the great flood of government-defended newcomers. Among other things, we discuss the gold rushes, the Homestead Act, and the creation of the transcontinental railroad.

On the other hand, we also remember the "Great Dying," the Trail of Tears, the so-called Sioux Uprising, Red Cloud's War, and what many historians have called the Battles of Blue Water and the Washita. Lastly, this part ends with a discussion of the U.S. government's "trust responsibility" to its indigenous people.