The Treaty of Fort Laramie and its guarantees to Native Americans

¶ … Treaty of Fort Laramie and what it guaranteed the Native Americans. The Treaty of Fort Laramie is also called the Sioux Treat of 1868. It was a treaty between the United States Government and several Native American nations, which gave land ownership to them.

The Treaty was an agreement between the United States and several Indian nations, including the Lakota nation, Santee Sioux, Yanktonai Sioux, and Arapaho. It was signed in 1868 at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, hence the name. It guaranteed Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and other hunting and land rights in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. It closed the Powder River Country to whites, and ended Red Cloud's War. The treaty was very unusual at the time because it granted rights to Natives over whites. A historian notes, "The Treaty of Fort Laramie was a rare instance in which the United States negotiated a peace in which it gave the Indians everything they asked, and asked no quid pro quo in return."

Later, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, and the U.S. wanted the land back. Another historian notes, "The allure of gold led the U.S. government to reconsider its commitment to the Treaty of 1868, and Indian agents were dispatched to the Black Hills to convince the Sioux to sell their land."

The Sioux refused, but the U.S. took the land back in 1877 with an act of Congress.

The Struggle for the Black Hills occurred as the Sioux attempted to regain ownership of the lands Congress took back. It began shortly before the 1877 land grab, and consisted of Sioux resistance to white cavalry members who were in the Black Hills supposedly to "protect" the Natives from white gold miners trespassing in the Sioux territory. However, ultimately, they attacked the Sioux for being "hostile," and two battles, the Battle of Rosebud and the Battle of the Little Bighorn were a result. The Natives won those, but eventually lost the war, and the Struggle for the Black Hills continued. It came up again in 1946, when the government formed the Indian Claims Commission and the Sioux appealed to them for Black Hills control. The struggle continued until 1980. The historian continues, "In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the ruling in United States v. Sioux Nation. The Sioux were therefore owed $17.5 million for the land value at the time of the taking, plus interest at 5% a year."

However, the Natives turned down the money because they would give up their claim to the land if it was paid out, and demanded return of the land, instead. They still have not regained control of the land. Initially, the Treaty of Fort Laramie seemed like a blessing for the Native Americans, and it gave them trust in the government. However, the U.S. repeatedly ignored the treaty, and the Natives began to learn not to trust the government or its intentions.