Book: The Massacre at Sand Creek

Introduction
"The Massacre at Sand Creek" is a history book written by Dick Schaap and published in 1963. The book provides a detailed account of one of the darkest as well as most ruthless occasions in the background of America-- the Sand Creek Massacre. The carnage took place on November 29, 1864, when a Colorado Territory Militia pressure led by Colonel John Chivington struck as well as eliminated over 150 Cheyenne as well as Arapaho Indians-- mainly ladies, youngsters, and also elderly-- who were gathered in a village under the security of the United States Flag. The book explores the background, occasions, as well as effects of the massacre, clarifying the awful results of bigotry, political ambition, as well as greed.

Background of the Massacre
In 1864, the United States was deeply participated in the Civil War, with the Union federal government asserting lands occupied by Native American people as part of its area. The Cheyenne as well as Arapaho people, who had survived the Plains for generations, discovered themselves caught in the middle of the war as well as encountered enhancing stress from white inhabitants. Schaap traces the origins of the massacre to the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851), which had guaranteed the people substantial locations of land in contemporary Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and also South Dakota. However, as the Civil War advanced and also the federal government pushed westward, the treaty was disregarded, as well as the people were required to surrender their regions to white inhabitants.

Tensions with the people additionally intensified after the Colorado Gold Rush in 1858, bringing a flooding of miners onto Cheyenne and Arapaho lands. The tribes, seeing their way of living interfered with, began raids and also strikes on white settlements, worsening animosities. In response, the U.S. Government offered new treaties, increasingly pressing the tribes onto smaller as well as much more poverty-stricken reservations-- a circumstance that just magnified the widespread physical violence on the frontier.

The Attack on Sand Creek
By the autumn of 1864, stress in between Native Americans as well as white inhabitants had actually gotten to a fever pitch, as well as territorial governor John Evans fixed to take care of the tribes by taking a hardline position. He hired Chivington, a former Methodist preacher as well as a vocal advocate for Indian elimination, to lead a volunteer militia (the 100-days program) against the Cheyenne as well as Arapaho people.

With the understanding that only hostile tribes would be targeted, several Cheyenne as well as Arapaho leaders, such as Black Kettle as well as Left Hand, sought protection for their individuals. They collected their followers in a town called Sand Creek, flying the U.S. flag as well as a white flag of truce to indicate their serene objectives.

Nonetheless, on the early morning of November 29th, Chivington led a pressure of over 700 guys to Sand Creek and also, in a gross disloyalty, introduced a harsh attack on the town. Over 150 Cheyenne as well as Arapaho villagers were indiscriminately eliminated in the bloodbath, the large bulk of them females, kids, and the elderly.

Results and also Repercussions
The Sand Creek Massacre horrified and also outraged numerous, including a few of Chivington's own males, that refused to join the attack. A number of composed letters to papers as well as federal government authorities, denouncing Chivington's activities. As word spread, national outcry caused examinations by the U.S. Army and Congress, marking the bloodbath as a terrible criminal offense against mankind.

Although Chivington was openly condemned for his function in the bloodbath, he eventually ran away any type of lawful repercussions for his activities due to the nature of the armed forces hierarchy as well as political intricacies of the time. However, the massacre functioned as an unfortunate turning point in Indian-white connections, resulting in a series of brutal problems known as the Indian Wars.

To conclude, "The Massacre at Sand Creek" by Dick Schaap offers a gripping and also comprehensive account of a terrible event in U.S. background. Guide brightens the destructive results of bigotry and greed on the lives of innocent individuals captured in the tornado of westward growth, serving as a plain suggestion of the price of conquest as well as exploitation.