Today in History - December 15, 1890 - Sitting Bull was killed by Police

A lot of things happened today in History. The Bill of Rights becomes law in 1791, the Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens in 2001, and the United States announces that it will recognize Communist China in 1978. I didn't realize that Sitting Bull was alive in the 1800's. This was the year my grandfather was born. But I will have to admit, my grandfather was older than most of the grandfathers of my peers. He didn't get married until he was forty, and became a father at the age of 41. So, the year that Sitting Bull died, my grandfather was born. It wasn't all that long ago in History either.

After many years of successfully resisting white efforts to destroy him and the Siouxpeople, the great Sioux chief and holy man Sitting Bull is killed by Indian police at the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota.

One of the most famous Native Americans of the 19th century, Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) was a fierce enemy of Anglo-Americans from a young age. Deeply devoted to the traditional ways, Sitting Bull believed that contact with non-Indians undermined the strength and identity of the Sioux and would lead to their ultimate decline. However, Sitting Bull's tactics were generally more defensive than aggressive, especially as he grew older and became a Sioux leader. Fundamentally, Sitting Bull and those associated with his tribe wished only to be left alone to pursue their traditional ways, but the Anglo settlers' growing interest in the land and the resulting confinement of Indians to government-controlled reservations inevitably led to conflicts. Sitting Bull's refusal to follow an 1875 order to bring his people to the Sioux reservation directly led to the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn, during which the Sioux and Cheyenne wiped out five troops of Custer's 7th Cavalry.

Please read the rest of the story at:  www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sitting-bull-killed-by-indian-police