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Why did the Medicine Lodge Treaty fail to create lasting peace?
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Plains Wars
View of the army camp at Hidden Wood Creek during Lieut. Col. George Armstrong Custer's Black Hills expedition, 1874; photograph by W.H. Illingworth.
The Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867 failed to establish lasting peace primarily because neither the U.S. government nor the participating Native American tribes demonstrated a genuine commitment to upholding the terms of the agreement.1
Several factors contributed to this breakdown:
- Lack of Compliance: Neither side showed enthusiasm for fulfilling the spirit or the letter of the treaty, which required tribes to move to reservations in exchange for government annuities and hunting rights.1
- Administrative Conflict: The division of authority between the Department of the Interior, which managed reservation life, and the War Department, which was responsible for security, proved ineffective and created ongoing friction.1
- Economic and Cultural Hardship: Native Americans found reservation life to be characterized by economic and cultural poverty, leading many to continue launching raids into Texas.1
- Renewed Hostilities: Following continued Indian strikes, the U.S. Army resumed military operations in 1868, ultimately leading to further conflict and the eventual shattering of the southern Plains tribes' military power by 1875.1