Crazy Horse, 1840-1877
Oglala Lakota Chief
Crazy Horse was an Oglala Lakota Indian who was born in South Dakota in the mid-1800s. He became a courageous warrior who was well respected by his people. His enemies respected him, too. Crazy Horse was also admired as a leader.
In the mid-1860s, the United States government was trying to take over the land owned by American Indians. With Crazy Horse as their leader, the Lakota refused to give up their land to American settlers. The government tried to force the Lakota onto reservation lands during the winter months. A reservation is land that the United States government set aside for American Indians. The government wanted American Indians to farm the land. The Lakota were nomads, people who travel from place to place. They had always lived as hunters, not farmers. Crazy Horse did not want to move his people in the winter and did not want to leave the Plains.
The United States Army attacked a northern Cheyenne village in late winter of 1876. Crazy Horse and other chiefs decided to fight back. Among the battles they fought was the famous Battle of Little Bighorn. The American Indian victory there caused the army to hunt down Crazy Horse. In 1877, he was forced onto a reservation in Nebraska. He was killed while being held prisoner at Camp Robinson.
Critical Thinking
In what ways did Crazy Horse try to protect the Lakota?