1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast. I'm Eves 3 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: and you're listening to This Day in History Class, a 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: podcast that really takes to heart the phrase you learned 5 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 1: something new every day. Today's February. The day was February 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy three. A group of Akalala Lakota activists and 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: members of the American Indian Movement took control of the 8 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: town of Wounded Knee in South Dakota. The conflict that 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 1: ensued lasted for seventy one days. Wounded me on the 10 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 1: Pine Ridge Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, is a site 11 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: of significance in the US and Native American history. In 12 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,800 Speaker 1: eight members of the U. S Army killed hundreds of 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 1: Lakota at Wounded Knee. The site of the massacre was 14 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: designated a National Historic Landmark in nineteen sixty five. Three 15 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: years later, the American Indian Movement was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 16 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,679 Speaker 1: The group aimed to address the economic, cultural, and political 17 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: needs of Native American people, and it fought to restore 18 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: lands that were illegally seized from Native Americans. Many of 19 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 1: its protests got a lot of media attention, like the 20 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,960 Speaker 1: occupation of Alcatraz from nineteen sixty nine to nineteen seventy one. 21 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: Of course, the movement had its detractors who saw its 22 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: participants as too militant. Wounded Knee was not only historically significant. 23 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: In the nineteen seventies and today, many people who lived 24 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation faced serious poverty. Richard 25 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: Dick Wilson was the tribal chairman of the Ogalala Lakota 26 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: on the reservation, but many of the Ogalala who lived 27 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: in Pine Ridge were unhappy with the tribal government and 28 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: thought that Wilson was a corrupt instrument of the Bureau 29 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: of Indian Affairs. Some said that he favored Lakota who assimilated, 30 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 1: and he shut down protests that Agolala Lakota began when 31 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: they faced racial violence. Many of the tribes people called 32 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:19,520 Speaker 1: for Wilson's impeachment, but the effort to impeach Wilson failed. 33 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: Tribal leaders were also frustrated with the US government's failure 34 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: to fulfill treaties and its general mistreatment of Native Americans, 35 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 1: so some of the Agolala Lakota members looked to the 36 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: American Indian Movement for Help. Tribal leaders aimed to renegotiate 37 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: the terms of past treaties and to declare Wounded Me 38 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:46,119 Speaker 1: as the independent Agolala Nation. On February seven, nineteen seventy three, 39 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: around two hundred Oglala Lakota and members of the American 40 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: Indian Movement occupied Wounded Me. Soon the occupation became violent. 41 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: The federal government set up roadblocks around the area. Federal 42 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: marshals and the National Guard traded fire with the protesters. 43 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: A ceasefire was called on March tenth, but more Agolala 44 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: Lakota supporters showed up at the site of the occupation. 45 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,959 Speaker 1: The conflict continued for more than three months after it began, 46 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: and it got a lot of media coverage, But the 47 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: death of Agolala Lakota tribe member Buddy Lamont drove many 48 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: Agolala to put an end to the occupation. They began 49 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: negotiations with the government, and on May eighth, they surrendered 50 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: once officials agreed to look into their issues. In total, 51 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: to Agolala Lakota died and several others were wounded. One 52 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: federal agent was shot and paralyzed. Many members of the 53 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: American Indian Movement left wounded me before they could be arrested, 54 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: but others, like leader Russell Means, were arrested. Nearly all 55 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: those arrested were acquitted because evidence was mishandled. But even 56 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: after the occupation ended, violent conflict between the US government 57 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: and a Glala Lakota continued. Wilson was re elected tribal 58 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:11,280 Speaker 1: chairman in nineteen four. I'm Eve Scheff Coke and hopefully 59 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: you know a little more about history today than you 60 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: did yesterday. Keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and 61 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: Instagram at t d i h C podcast, or if 62 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: you want to get a little more fancy, you can 63 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: send us an email at this Day at I heart 64 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll see you here 65 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: again tomorrow with another episode. For more podcasts from I 66 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 67 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.