1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,680 Speaker 1: Have you ever known somebody who was a complete contradiction. Now, 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: on the one hand, General Oliver Howard, the white Civil 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,239 Speaker 1: War general who founded the historically black Howard University, was 4 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: a dedicated freedom fighter for one group of people, but 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: later he murderously chased down another group. I'm Patty Steele. 6 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: Compassion in the East, slaughter in the Old West. Next 7 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. The hit 8 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: Martin Scorsese movie Killers of the Flower Moon has recently 9 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: given us kind of a peek into what Native Americans 10 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 1: have had to deal with here in America. But there 11 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:42,600 Speaker 1: are a ton of other stories we haven't heard so 12 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: much about, including that of the Nez Perce tribe. Okay, 13 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: let's go back. It's before the Civil War. General Oliver 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: Howard was born in Maine. His family was devoutly Christian 15 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: and hugely anti slavery. Howard maintained that the black community's 16 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: desire to sort of immolate into American culture and their 17 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: devotion to Christian ideals proved they deserved freedom, and that's 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: what he fought for in the Civil War, even losing 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: an arm in battle and ultimately winning the Medal of Honor. 20 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:16,520 Speaker 1: His devotion to black people was noticed in Washington, so 21 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:19,760 Speaker 1: in the aftermath of the war, Howard was appointed to 22 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: run the Freedmen's Bureau, which was there to watch over 23 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: the rights of newly freed slaves and help them get 24 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: on their feet as independent citizens. He was so intent 25 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: on helping them fully achieve that independence that he worked 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 1: with the Republican Party to grant freed male slaves the 27 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: right to vote. His bureau also helped blacks organize themselves 28 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: politically and set up programs to give them access to 29 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 1: social welfare, including food, education, legal assistance, and medical care. 30 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: Really importantly, Howard also began the push to offer all 31 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: black people the chance to get a good education. Thus 32 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: Howard University the school we still know as one of 33 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: the first and foremost historically black universities. He was the 34 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: driving force and the main founder of the school, which 35 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: is why it was named after him. He also served 36 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: as its president from eighteen sixty nine to eighteen seventy four. 37 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: But Howard also caught the attention of some haters in 38 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: Washington who felt he had too much power and he 39 00:02:21,400 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: was giving too many rights to blacks. They called him 40 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 1: a fanatic. Next thing, you know, he's appointed to the 41 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: command of a major department of the U. S Army, 42 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: and that sends him far away from Washington to the 43 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: remote west and northwest. Now, imagine it's eighteen seventy seven. 44 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: You're a member of the Nez Perce tribe. You live 45 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:45,400 Speaker 1: way out in the northwest, beyond all the development and 46 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:48,560 Speaker 1: the turmoil of the pre and post Civil War years 47 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: in the east. You've been following a way of life 48 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: your tribe and your ancestors have followed in that region 49 00:02:55,639 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: for almost twelve thousand years. Suddenly, your tribe, led by 50 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: Chief Joseph, becomes the target of the US government's rigid expectations. 51 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,680 Speaker 1: Why well, it seems your people have a desire to 52 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: hang on to their ancestral lands, which had already been 53 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,359 Speaker 1: guaranteed them in a treaty just twenty years earlier. They 54 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: also want to follow their own religion and their culture. 55 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: The government in Washington, DC not a fan of the 56 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: tribe's traditional thinking, so they send General Howard and a 57 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: boatload of soldiers to the northwest to hunt down the 58 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: Nez Perce tribe and force them onto a reservation in Idaho. 59 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: So here's the question, how did Howard get to a 60 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: place where post war he was chasing down and even 61 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: killing these Native Americans. Well, it seems the same standards 62 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: by which he favorably judged black people, their desire to 63 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: assimilate into American culture and uphold Christian values are what 64 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: caused trouble for the Nez Purse. Because of their desire 65 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: to stay true to their heritage, Howard, who was noted 66 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: as a fierce to offender of oppressed blacks, becomes the oppressor. 67 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: He and his troops forced the Nez perse from their 68 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: homes and in their drive toward what they believed was 69 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:12,640 Speaker 1: their manifest destiny, the right of the US government to 70 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: completely control North America. Now picture this, The Nez Purse, 71 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 1: including men, women, and children, no matter how young, how old, 72 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: how sick, are literally running for their lives across what 73 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: used to be their land. General Howard has the might 74 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: of the U. S. Army, and he's right on their heels. 75 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,360 Speaker 1: No matter how little food or weaponry they have, the 76 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: Nez Purse won't be broken. Their refusal to give up 77 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: their ancestral land and get on board with American culture 78 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 1: and Christianity put them in direct conflict with the government, 79 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: and so Chief Joseph leads them on a grueling, heartbreaking 80 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:03,160 Speaker 1: chase that stretched almost twelve hundred miles through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, 81 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: and Montana. They crossed rivers and mountains, still remaining dedicated 82 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: to their right to live on their land. Ultimately, hundreds 83 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,039 Speaker 1: of Nez Purse are killed and wounded, with women and 84 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 1: children even targeted. Several hundred managed to escape to Canada, 85 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: and hundreds more finally surrender. Now at the time, the 86 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 1: New York Times called what the government had done nothing 87 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: short of a gigantic blunder and a crime. And civil 88 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: war hero General William de Cumps of Sherman said the 89 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: Nez Purse showed a courage and skill, as well as 90 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: a humanity beyond any Native American war on record. Afterwards, though, 91 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: it was Sherman's decision not to allow the Nez Perce 92 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: to head to their reservation in Idaho, as promised by Howard, 93 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 1: but instead to send them en mass, first to Kansas, 94 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,520 Speaker 1: where they lived on a swampy reservation for a few years, 95 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:59,799 Speaker 1: and then to hot Dusty, Oklahoma. So did General Howard 96 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: his back on the principles he clearly upheld. In the 97 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:06,400 Speaker 1: aftermath of the Civil War for black people. How did 98 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: he become someone willing to enforce displacement and suffering on 99 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: people who were merely fighting for their own way of life. 100 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: It's hard to say. In his memoirs he called the 101 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: Nez Perce War one of the toughest of his career, 102 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: but it didn't really cost him his reputation. He went 103 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: on to become the superintendent of the Military Academy at 104 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: West Point, then the commander of two military divisions in 105 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,680 Speaker 1: the West, and finally the commander of the Department of 106 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: the East before he retired as a major general. His 107 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: legacy regarding education is clear. General Oliver Howard founded Lincoln 108 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: Memorial College in Tennessee to educate poor Mountain folks there, 109 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: and of course, Howard University, named in honor of its 110 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: white founder, thrives as a powerful, historically black university. Coupled 111 00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:56,719 Speaker 1: with his treatment of the Nez Perce, though, it's a 112 00:06:56,760 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: confusing kind of dark legacy at best. If you have 113 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: any stories you would like me to take a deep 114 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: dive into and to share, please reach out to me. 115 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: You can direct message me on Facebook at Patty Steele 116 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: or on Instagram at real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. 117 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 1: The Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis 118 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,760 Speaker 1: Durand Group, and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. 119 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,640 Speaker 1: Our writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday 120 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: and Friday. Feel free to reach out to me with 121 00:07:39,280 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: comments and even story suggestions on Instagram at Reel Patty 122 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: Steele and on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening 123 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: to the Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history 124 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: you didn't know you needed to know.