My Thoughts About Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
The Significance of the Topic of the Book in the Telling of US History
The significance of “Bury My Heart at Wounded knee” is to explain the relationships the natives and white americans. Dee Brown details how horrifying the Genocide against the Natives was. As well as how the whites tried to live peacefully with the native americans. “Before these laws could be put into effect, a new wave of white settlers swept westward and formed the territories of Wisconsin and Iowa. This made it necessary for the policy makers in Washington to shift the ‘permanent Indian frontier’ from the Mississippi River to the 95th meridian” (Page 6) “He probably was not surprised that few Navahos could be found. He knew that the only way to conquer them was to destroy their crops and livestock — scorch their earth.” (page 24 ) “Truly, he thought, that nation of white men is like a spring freshet that overruns its banks and destroys all who are in its path. Soon they would take the buffalo country unless the hearts of the Indians were strong enough to hold it.” (Page 65) “Thus did the Cheyennes and Arapahos abandon all claims to the Territory of Colorado. And that of course was the real meaning of the massacre at Sand Creek.” (Page 98)
The Two Characters I Liked the Most
The Sitting Bull was my favorite character in the book, he led the Teton Sioux tribe. The Sitting Bull was portrayed as a resistance against the brutality and aggression to the natives. He is a leader and his people is his priority and no matter what, he keeps fighting for them. Even if it means giving up his life. The Crazy Horse fought along side of the Sitting Bull and helped him with many successful guerilla attacks. He was the chief of the Oglala Tribe, But his people were often starving which caused him to surrender. I chose these two characters because they reflect on how people can be brave and stand up for others. I also chose them because they show good leadership and companionship towards their tribe.
The Probable Influence on a Reader
I think that this book would drastically influence the mind of a learner. This book is impactful to the United States history because it shows how white men would treat others. But it also shows they different tactics and strategies that the natives had to fight the whites. It was a dark time for the United States and this book helped me realize the savageness and brutality Native Americans had to deal with in this time period. Literature can give a voice to people. In this book, Dee Brown gave a voice to the Native Americans. He told stories of the genocide against Natives and the history of many tribes. Most importantly, he recognizes the many battles, struggles, and leadership that the Natives had. It’s important to recognize the leaders of the tribes because they fought for what was right and brought justice to their tribes.
My Impressions
I thought that the book was pretty interesting, I enjoyed the details that Dee Brown used in the battles. The most impactful moment was when Abraham Lincoln had some empathy towards the Santee Tribe, because he only decided to imprison the one who weren’t involved in the retaliation.
