The nineteenth century marked immeasurable changes in the lives of Native Americans. Through disease and increased hostility from migrating farmers, over ninety percent of the American Indian population was decimated. The American government saw little success in luring Native Americans to reservations peaceably. Many tribes reacted with aggression towards the government for the numerous attempts at converting their sacred ways of living. As a result of the growing animosity, the Plains Wars begun in 1864 due …showed first 75 words of 522 total…

…showed last 75 words of 522 total…th century the American Indians were losing hope and the energy needed to fight for their cause. This mindset made them responsive to the messages of the Paiute Prophet Wovoka, who predicted that natural disasters would eliminate the white race. In 1890 with the bloody massacre at Wounded Creek Knee the Indians were defeated at last. As Black Elk lamented, "around them surge[d] the gnawing flood of [the white man] dirty with lies and greed."