There are many reasons why I think the Battle of Greasy Grass influenced the tide of Native resistance in the West. I think that one of the major reasons for this was that this was possibly the first major victory for the Native Americans when it came to the Colonists. This also showed other Native Americans that victories against the colonists were possible. After years of suffering at their hands, this battle showed not only everyone living in the US at this time but all of the Native Americans that they could fight back and do it successfully. This major success on the side of the Natives may have encouraged other Native communities to work together and win victories of their own. This could explain an influx of groups of Natives wanting to rise up in resistance because they believed they could win because of this battle.
Another act of resistance from the Natives that was similar to the Battle of Greasy Grass was the Modoc War. During this war, the Modoc people wanted to leave their fixed reservation and return to their homeland near the Lost River. They wanted to ask for a reservation in this area. This was after Congress had decided to pass the Treaty of Council Grove in 1864. This treaty called for the removal of the Modoc tribe’s reservation and moved them to the Klamath reservation in Oregon . After the Modoc people left this reservation to try to return to their land the government then tried to force them back to the reservation which then led to the Modoc war.
There are many common themes behind many of the resistances of the Native communities. One of the biggest common themes with all of them is the aspect of the US government not upholding their end of the treaty by letting people come into the reservation and do things like mine for gold. This is not the first time we’ve talked about the untrustworthiness of the US colonists when it comes to upholding their words as well as being untruthful to the rest of the US. We also see this in the paintings depicting Custer’s and the US troops standing in the battle as heroic people surrounded by the bodies of Indians. Another common theme is seeing the confinement and forced restrictions on the Native Americans within their own reservations. In many of these battles, it also seems like the US troops underestimated the resilience and tactical strategies of the Native Americans. This is especially seen with the Battle of Greasy Grass and with the Nez Perce people constantly outmaneuvering the army.