Encyclopedia of American Indian History

The relationship between white Americans and the native tribes whose ancestral lands they occupied has always been, to put it mildly, difficult. Of course the tribes themselves were not always pacific: the Crow fought the Lakota (or Sioux), the Kiowas were enemies of the Osage and the Arapahoes, and so on. But the tribes managed to co‐exist.

Not so with the white man. The settlers and their vanguard – the Union Army – shared the imperialist mentality of nineteenth century Europe. Their civilization was based on industry, individualism and the market – and they were Christians. They believed that their...