Beginning of Essay
Colin Calloway has done a masterful job of selecting and presenting an array of speeches, letters, documents, and drawings that tell compelling stories about the Plain Indians in the 1800's. His introduction alone has just the right level of information and links ....

Middle of Essay
.... these documents within their historical context. Each chapter unfolds   1 OUR HEARTS FELL TO THE GROUND   to show the tragedy the Plains Indian had to endure from the white settlers and their greed for land and prosperity. From the slaughter of whole tribes, the out break of the unseen killer, and the forced assimilation through the reservation systems were only a few explanations for why the Indians numbers dwindled in the 1800s. It was not until the middle of the twentieth century that the reality of their suffering showed up in history books. Any writings prior only portrayed the Native American as savages and rebellious p ....