Many of the homesteaders new to the Great Plains settled on Native American lands. Most Native Americans did not want to surrender their land, nor did they believe that land should be sold. During the 1800s, the U. S. government broke treaties made with the Native Americans in the Plains and moved them to strange territories set aside for them called reservations.

As the population of the homesteaders in the Plains increased so did the conflicts between the Native Americans and the settlers. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a treaty that protected their sacred ground was broken. The Lakota were offered money for their land and when they refused, the Army was sent in. The Lakota dug in. This led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It would be the last major Native American victory on the Plains. The government responded with more troops and eventually the Native Americans of the Plains were moved to reservations. The Nez Perce were also forced from their land in Oregon onto a reservation.

During this time, many Native Americans lost their land and were sent to far away reservations. They lost their freedom, and many died. There were many Americans who felt ashamed of how the Native Americans were treated. Among those who spoke of this mistreatment was Helen Hunt Jackson. She wrote about her feelings in her book, A Century of Dishonor.