- What new land did the U.S. gain in 1848, after the Mexican American War?
The new lands that the U.S. gained after the Mexican-American War are the states of Utah, Nevada, and California. Some parts of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming which used to be part of Mexico also became part of the U.S. territory.
- What event drove Americans through the Southwest?
The discovery of gold in California, where the Indian population lives prompted the Americans to go to the Southwest and drive the Indians away.
- Who did President Ulysses S. Grant send to Arizona to institute a new federal Indian policy?
President Grant sent General George Crook, the most respected Indian fighter and a veteran of the Civil War, to Arizona.
- What was this policy and how did this differ from previous federal policy?
The federal policy instituted by President Grant involves treating Native tribes as wards of the state instead of sovereign nations. The Indian tribes will be relocated to reservations. The tribes will be contained in the reservations where they will be transformed and educated.
- What was the choice Crook gave the Apache? How did the Apache know about the choice Navajos had been given ten years prior?
The choice that Crook gave the Apache was for them to stay in the reservation so that their lives will be better. If they choose to fight the Americans, then they will be hunted down. The Apache knew the choice made by the Navajos because both tribes knew each other and they shared information.
- After centuries of warfare between Indians and settlers, what did Geronimo’s surrender signify?
Geronimo’s surrender signifies the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest which lasted for almost three centuries. It means the end of the warfare between the Chiricahua Apache Indians and the Americans. It is the end of the Indian resistance to American governance.
- How did America change after the Indian Wars were over?
After the Indian Wars were over, the United States gained several territories while Mexico lost a big part of their territory. Most of the Indian tribes were assimilated into society to adapt to the American culture.
