Sitting Bull and The Battle of Little Bighorn

If one is to decide whether Sitting Bull, War Chief of the Lakota Sioux, should be charged with the murder of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and approximately two hundred sixty of his men, there are different aspects which lead up to the battle that should be taken into consideration. Taking in all the different events that lead up to the battle, Sitting Bull should be declared no guilty. Even though Sitting Bull and his men killed Custer and his men, Sitting Bull himself is not at fault for all the events that lead up to the battle. The United States government is at blame for most of the fighting that occurred between the Native Americans and the Americans. Three different points which would persuade the jury to plead not guilty are, white settlement in the Black Hills was prohibited due to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, prospectors rushed to the Black Hills in search for gold, provoking the Lakota to defend their land and, the United States set the treaty aside and were forcing the Native Americans to move when their efforts to purchase the Black Hills failed. 

To begin, white settlers were no allowed to inhabit the Black Hills. This is something the United States government and the Native Americans agreed on when they signed the Fort Laramie Treaty. As the population in America increased, Americans started to colonize in the west. As more people moved to the west, Native Americans were being forced to move to the west as well, in search for new land. However, whenever the Native Americans settled in their land, Americans were shortly following behind them, forcing them to move once again. Frustrated by the constant mobilization, some Native Americans chose to abandoned their heritage and assimilate with the American Society. Although some people decided to give up their heritage, other Native Americans refused to leave their land.

When Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer found out about the gold in the Black Hills, the news started to spread. Many Americans rushed to the scene in search for gold. By trespassing on their territory, the Americans are violating the treaty. Determined to fight for their land, many Native Americans stood their ground against the Americans. In the spring of 1876, the United States army began a campaign to try to force the Cheyenne and Sioux off the plains and onto reservations. Sitting Bull began to gather the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Arapahoe to his camp, who then performed a sun dance ritual, and said their prayers to their Great Spirits. On June 25, 1876, Crazy Horse, the Oglala Lakota war chief, and other warriors defended themselves in an attack lead by Custer’s forces and won. Custer was the one who decided to attack Black Hill. As a result, Custer and his five companies of men are killed.

The United States was responsible for upholding the treaty it set up. When the Native Americans refused to sell their land, the U.S should have prohibited any settlers from entering their land. The U.S then tried to keep the Native Americans off their own land by forcing them off it. When the U.S threw their own treaty aside, they set themselves up for the events that later occurred. The Native Americans were willing to fight to their death in order to protect both their land and heritage. Sitting Bull cannot be held responsible for protecting his land against an invasion led by Custer and his men.

To conclude, Sitting Bull should no be held responsible for the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his men. Custer chose to lead an attack on Black Hill in an effort to force the Native Americans off their on land. Sitting Bull was forced to defend himself against Custer and his soldiers. Because of the violent outbreak, Custer and most of his army are killed. Since the Sioux had legal rights to the land, they did no have to give up their land to the United States government. Sitting Bull was entitled to the land and he was willing to fight to protect, just as the U.S would fight to protect its own land if a foreign force tried to claim it as theirs.