Wounded Knee Massacre

When the white settlers first immigrated to what is today's US lands, they confronted Native Americans for the first time. These white settlers wanted to expand and explore the western part of the continent. According to the idea of Manifest Destiny, which became prominent in the 19th century, white settlers believed they were divinely commissioned to expand westward across the US. Because of this belief, for years, they forced Native Americans (referred to as "Indians" because Christopher Columbus mistakenly thought he had discovered India) to move further west to acquire more land.

The US government restricted Native Americans' living areas to reservations. During these years, there were many significant conflicts between Native Americans and US forces, involving different Native groups. Wounded Knee was initially considered one of these conflicts, but later on it has been recognized as a massacre.

Upon the arrival of white settlers, Native Americans practiced rituals called the Ghost Dance, with the belief that one day the white settlers would leave and the bison would return. They gathered for these rituals, but these religious practices drew the attention of the US government, which feared a possible uprising. Because of this, in 1890, the government intended to prevent their gatherings, and the Seventh U.S. Cavalry Regiment arrested a group of Lakota people who were traveling toward the Pine Ridge Reservation and confined them to a camp near Wounded Knee Creek.

The next day, it is not certain how the chaos started, but approximately 300 unarmed Lakota people, mostly women and children, were killed by US soldiers. After the mass shooting, US veterans were awarded by the US Government, while 25 US soldiers lost their lives. According to the number of dead soldiers, it can be understood that although natives were unarmed, they resisted the US military bravely. Many years later, Wounded Knee would become a symbol for the fight for Native American rights.