3 their sovereignty over the indians in the 1800s

3
their sovereignty over the Indians in the 1800’s, when they forced them to move to the
reservations. It seemed the federal government decides when Indians could be a sovereign nation
and when they cannot. When the Lakota’s complained of their corrupt tribal government, the
U.S. government could have stepped up and offered assistance until the problem was corrected
and a new tribal chairman was elected by the tribe.
The takeover and standoff at Wounded Knee was an eye opener for many, who did not
even realize the Lakota’s were still being treated like second class citizens. Poverty and
oppression were still rampant in the Lakota’s lives, and they were still dealing with being treated
as though they were still the “Indian Problem.” They finally said enough is enough and turned to
taking over Wounded Knee to let people know the negative treatment they were still receiving at
the hands of their chairman and also they were tired of being ignored by the United States
government. It was a bold step for any tribe to take, and while it did bring attention to their many
problems, more changes still needed to be made to the poor conditions that still existed on the
reservation.