Brave and Generous
Crazy Horse was born around 1840 in a Lakota Sioux village in South Dakota. His father was a Medicine Man. He was well-liked by his friends. Crazy Horse wasn't big or tall, but he was brave and fearless. He was also generous. He gave away his possessions to the people in his tribe. He was a quiet person who didn't talk much. Throughout his life, he also refused to be photographed.
Legend says that when he was just thirteen years old, he went on a horse-stealing raid at a neighboring tribe. He also led his first war party before he was twenty. Crazy Horse grew up in a time when the Sioux were growing in power and had a large amount of land. This started to change in the 1850s as white settlers began moving onto the frontier.
Battle Cry
One day, when Crazy Horse was just twelve years old, United States soldiers came to a Sioux village. The soldiers said a man in the village had stolen a cow from a farmer. An argument broke out and a soldier killed the village's chief. This was the beginning of the war between the Sioux Nation and the United States. After this incident, known as the Grattan Massacre, Crazy Horse did not trust the white men. He felt strongly about preserving the Sioux way of life.
Crazy Horse continued to lead raids against white settlers during the 1860s. The Sioux were winning and even granted full ownership of the Black Hills, a small mountain range in western South Dakota, in 1868. However, when gold was found in the Black Hills, even more people moved into the Native Americans' territory. Fighting continued.
Crazy Horse, with the help of Sitting Bull, won the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. This battle is considered to be one of the Native Americans' biggest victories.
Painting of the Battle of Little Bighorn
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Surrender
Crazy Horse was pursued by U.S. soldiers. He hid throughout the Yellowstone area for a while, but on May 5th, 1877, Crazy Horse surrendered, which means to give oneself up to the other side, at Fort Robinson in Nebraska. Legend says that a couple months later, Crazy Horse tried to escape and was stabbed to death. He died on September 5, 1877.
Today you can visit the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The monument is about 560 feet high. The memorial is still not finished, but it stands as a reminder of the bravery Crazy Horse showed as he fought for the Lakota Sioux life he knew and loved.
Crazy Horse Memorial
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Lesson Summary
Crazy Horse was a brave Sioux warrior who fought for his people's way of life, leading many raids against white settlers. Crazy Horse surrendered to U.S. soldiers in 1877, but was stabbed to death while trying to escape. The Crazy Horse Memorial can be visited today in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
