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Exploration and Settlement of the West
Centennial by James Michener
New York: Fawcett Crest, 1974Michener's epic novel Centennial traces the development of modern day eastern Colorado dating literally from the dawn of the dinosaurs. At over one thousand pages, it may not be realistic to assign the entire book. However, like most Michener novels, Centennial is in essence a collections of short stories connected by successive generations of Indian and white families.
In particular, I am recommending students read chapter seven, "The Massacre," because it highlights a whole range of important issues that characterized the difficult relationship between Native Americans and white settlers in the mid to late 1800s. These issues include:
* the resentment the Indians had towards settlers and gold miners who continued to trespass on their land, often in violation of treaties.
* the repeated attempts by the U.S. Army, Indian agents, and Indian leaders to negotiate mutually acceptable peace treaties.
* why these treaties were often broken
* tensions between the Indians tribes
* the perception among many whites, some of them well-meaning, that Indians were essentially "children" and should be treated as such.
* disagreements among settlers and the Army regarding how to resolve the Indian "problem"
* instances of massive reprisals against Indians, including the Sand Creek Massacre, led by US Army officers who believed in Indian extermination
* how the local press reported on Indian issuesComment
While based on extensive historical research, Centennial is fiction. Other than acknowledging experts who provided background information, Michener provides very little information regarding his sources. He also provides only general comments regarding what parts of the book are fiction and what events are based upon historical fact. Michener indicates, for example, that "there was a great convocation in 1851 at Fort Laramie." While he doesn't say so, I believe the Indian massacre that forms the key event for this chapter is based upon the tragic Sand Creek Massacre that occurred in 1864 in what is now Kiowa County, Colorado. On November 29 of that year, Col. John Chivington, an advocate of Indian extermination, led approximately 700 men in a raid of an encampment of Cheyenne Indians who believed they were under the protection of the US government. In spite of flying an American and white flag, over 200 Indians were brutally massacred. Two-thirds of the victims were women and children. Incredibly, Col. Chivington and his troops were hailed as heroes by the local press who advocated strong military action against Native Americans.Reading Level: Adult
Interest Level: Adult
Chapter Seven, "The Massacre," 94 pages (the entire book is 1086 pages)Supports the following Instructional Objectives:
Trace the Exploration and Settlement of the West
Explain the role of negotiation and/or treaty in the United States acquisition of new territory
Excerpt
Levi said nothing, and after a while Mercy snapped his fingers and said briskly, "What you say about the settlers is true, Levi. A grubby lot. But it's them, not the gold miners, who'll build this land. And when they do, they won't want Indian war parties raiding through their fields or buffalo tearing down their fences. They're going to come . . . can't stop them. The enemy of the tipi is not the rifle. It's the plow."
Photo of Oglala Chief Red Cloud courtesy of the National Park Service at:
www.nps.gov/fola/indians.htm
Accessed June 25, 2002Historical Fiction and Idaho U.S. History Curriculum
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