Abstract
When Kansas became a U.S. territory in 1854 literally all of its land area was guaranteed by treaty to Indians. More than 10,000 Kickapoos, Delawares, Sacs, Foxes, Shawnees, Potawatomis, Kansas, Ottawas, Wyandots, and Osages, not to mention a number of smaller tribes, inhabited Kansas. By 1875 there were only a couple of bands left. forced removal of thousands of Indians from eastern Kansas between 1854 and 1871 affected more Indians and occupied more government time than the celebrated exploits of the military against the more warlike western tribes. In this volume Miner and Unrau show Kansas at mid-century to be a moral testing ground where the drama of disinheritance was played out. They relate how railroad men, land speculators, and timber operations came to be firmly entrenched on land in territorial Kansas. They examine remarkable incongruities in policy, land policy, law, and administration, pointing to specific cases in which legal maneuvers by the federal government within the framework of treaties, statutes, and executive pronouncements helped to insure the pattern of tribal destruction. Separate chapters deal with internal factionalism in the tribes, the practice of government chief-making, and the Indian Ring the sub rosa alliances influencing the treaty or sale process. authors also include revealing portraits of the individuals, from territorial governors to railroad officials, who helped engineer the end of Kansas. The reader's perception of those brave, hard-working sod-house settlers may never be the same after reading this book. American West.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.