Destruction of the buffalo population was a genocidal tactic against native Americans (Oluo)

The hunted extinction of buffalo was an attempt to drive Native Americans out of land the US wanted. This was a coordinated strategy at the highest levels of government.

References

In 1869, facing a protracted battle with Native tribes like the Sioux, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Phillip Sheridan as commanding general of the army and asked him to help solve the “Indian Problem” once and for all. Sheridan reached out to William Tecumseh Sherman, who had distinguished himself with his scorched-earth battle tactics during the Civil War, for advice. Sherman observed that wherever buffalo existed, there would be Native people, and they would continue to fight for land wherever the buffalo roamed. Sherman’s advice to Sheridan was simple: remove the buffalo in order to remove the Indian. “I think it would be wise to invite all the sportsmen of England and America there this fall for a Grand Buffalo hunt, and make one grand sweep of them all,” Sherman wrote to Sheridan. 7 No more buffalo, no more Indians. — Mediocre, pg 24

Backlinks

• Mediocre
  • An eye opening read, with many anecdotes and factoids I had no idea about (18th Century governments paid for the scalp of native Americans — regardless of identity (Oluo), Destruction of the buffalo population was a genocidal tactic against native Americans (Oluo), Zoning and covenants were used to segregate and restrict POC real estate opportunities (Oluo), Women and POC were largely left out of Great Depression aid programs (Oluo), In the Great Depression, 1/3 of Mexican-Americans were coerced into leaving the country, 60% were US Citizens (Oluo), Redskin’s owner George Preston Marshall almost single-mindedly capitalized on and perpetuated racism (Oluo)).
  • Destruction of the buffalo population was a genocidal tactic against native Americans (Oluo)