When our group was given the assignment of illustrating a frontier in history, we all decided to choose an individual person that soared above many others of their era. We choose Crazy Horse, of the Oglala-Brule Sioux as our frontiers-man in history. We choose him because of his brave and courageous fight for his peoples� freedom. None of the members in our group (Jake Hunter, Alden Kim, & Joe Kruegel) had completed any previous research on Crazy Horse, but our eagerness to learn about Crazy Horse�s fascinating life drove us to start collecting information. Joe quickly retrieved a book from the library that gave the group a rudimentary understanding of Crazy Horse�s life. After reading about Crazy Horse�s valiant fight for freedom, we decided a web site would be the best way to portray Crazy Horse�s immense life. From there we all went to work. Joe and Jake gathered more information regarding intricate details of Crazy Horse�s life, while Alden began searching the Internet for pictures of Crazy Horse. Alden also organized all the sources we used, while Jake constructed this process paper. Joe was only responsible for the cover page of the process paper since he would be doing most of the web page construction. Once these informational background tasks were completed we began laying out ideas for the set up of our web page as well as important quotes and pictures to include. Soon our commemorative to Crazy Horse was complete.
�All we wanted was peace and to be left alone. Soldiers came and destroyed our villages�, (Crazy Horse, The Native American Illustrated History, pg. 78). This quote by Crazy Horse shows the primary objective of him and his people. They just wanted peace. However, peace doesn�t come cheap and Crazy Horse knew this. He realized what was happening to his people; they were being disposed. He wasn�t going to see that happen without a fight against such a horrible injustice. Crazy Horse became war chief of the Oglalas and some Brule followers. He also made friends and followers among the Northern Cheyenne through a marriage to a Cheyenne woman. Crazy Horse and his followers waged war on invading white men. Crazy Horse lead raids on the Northern Pacific Railroad and his band also fought at the Battle of Powder River in the Black Hills in 1876-77. On June 17, 1876 at the Battle of the Rosebud, Crazy Horse, Gall, and other war chiefs led their warriors in repeated assaults against General Crook�s troops. On June 25, 1876 Crazy Horse led a victorious assault on General George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn. This battle was Crazy Horse�s biggest victory. Later Crazy Horse led 800 braves in a surprise attack at Wolf Mountain on the Tongue River on June 8, 1877. On May 5, 1877 Crazy Horse was forced to led some 800 followers to Fort Robinson on the Red Cloud Agency in Nebraska after his people grew wearing and were starving. He and his people were promised a reservation, a promise that eventually fell through. However, Crazy Horse�s fight for freedom truly proves him to be a frontiers-man in history.
Today Crazy Horse is considered to be one of the greatest American Indians. In fact there is a massive monument being constructed for him in South Dakota. Crazy Horse�s relentless pursuit for freedom revealed not only to his people, but also to all of us today the appalling injustice the American Indians went through. The reputation of great men is apt to be shadowed by questions of motive and policies, but here is a man who is one of the purest patriots ever. There was no hidden agenda in his fight, maintaining peace and freedom for his people was his only mission. Crazy Horse is as worthy of honor as anyone.
Furthermore, Crazy Horse was as important to his people during their struggle as he is today. Crazy Horse�s attempt to cease the disposal of his people defiantly made him a true frontiers-man in history. |
