How did Wounded Knee Massacre start?

The Wounded Knee Massacre was the culmination of a series of events that had been brewing for some time. The origins of the conflict can be traced back to the Dawes Act of 1887, which forced Native Americans to give up their communal land and move to individual reservations. This resulted in widespread poverty and landlessness among the tribes, and led to increased tensions with the U.S. government.

In the winter of 1890, a new religious movement known as the Ghost Dance began to spread among the Lakota Sioux people. The Ghost Dance promised a spiritual rebirth and the return of the buffalo, which would restore the Lakota way of life before the arrival of the white settlers. The movement quickly gained popularity, and it soon became a symbol of resistance to U.S. authority.

In response to the growing unrest, the U.S. government sent troops to the Lakota reservations. The troops were ordered to round up the Lakota and force them to return to their reservations. In December 1890, the 7th Cavalry surrounded a large encampment of Lakota at Wounded Knee Creek. The Lakota were initially reluctant to surrender, but after a brief skirmish, they agreed to give up their weapons.

As the Lakota were laying down their arms, a shot was fired. It is unclear who fired the first shot, but it triggered a massacre. The soldiers of the 7th Cavalry opened fire on the Lakota men, women, and children, indiscriminately killing hundreds of people. The Wounded Knee Massacre was one of the darkest days in American history, and it remains a symbol of the brutal treatment of Native Americans by the U.S. government.