1. What do you see in the images? How do you think they benefited the Americans? How do you think they harmed the Plains Tribes? 2. Why does General Shendan defend the buffalo hunters? What do you think of his method of warfare? 3. How does the primary source match the image? What words or phrases do you see illustrated?

Below is one way to approach these questions, drawing on historical context and analyzing the imagery and reading that many teachers use when discussing the era of westward expansion and its effects on the Plains tribes. 1. What do you see in the images? How do you think they benefited the Americans? How do you think they harmed the Plains Tribes?  • In many such historical images, you might notice vast herds of buffalo being pursued and slaughtered by organized groups of buffalo hunters, often with railroads or Western military figures in the background. There could be scenes that emphasize the mass killing of buffalo and the use of modern (for the time) weapons and transportation.  • For American expansion, the decline of the buffalo was seen as a means of taming the West. By eliminating the buffalo herds—a primary resource for the Plains tribes—the American government indirectly weakened the indigenous peoples’ ability to resist, settle disputes, and maintain their way of life. In addition, the surplus supplies of buffalo hides and meat were economically beneficial to American industries and settlers.  • For Plains tribes, however, the destruction of the buffalo herds was catastrophic. The buffalo were central not only as a food source but also culturally, spiritually, and economically. The loss of these herds meant a loss of traditional ways of life, forced dependency on government rations, and disruption of their entire social and ecological system. 2. Why does General Shendan defend the buffalo hunters? What do you think of his method of warfare?  • General Shendan’s defense of the buffalo hunters can be understood in the context of a larger military and governmental strategy aimed at forcing the Plains tribes into submission. By defending the hunters, he rationalizes an indirect method of warfare where the destruction of a natural resource is used as a weapon against people. In his view, the hunters are not simply profit-seeking individuals but part of a deliberate strategy to remove the buffalo as a sustaining resource for the tribes, thereby weakening their resistance.  • As for his method of warfare, it can be seen today as a controversial and morally complex tactic. On one hand, it reflects the modern military idea of targeting the enemy’s resources to break their ability to sustain a resistance. On the other hand, it involves significant collateral damage to civilian life, culture, and the natural environment. This scorched-earth approach—destroying an essential element of a people’s survival—is ethically troubling and has long-lasting negative consequences, making it a method that is criticized for its cruelty and its disregard for indigenous sovereignty and environmental stewardship. 3. How does the primary source match the image? What words or phrases do you see illustrated?  • The primary source document likely uses phrases that echo the stark and calculated nature of the campaign against the buffalo. For example, you might see terms like “extermination,” “scorched earth policy,” or “total annihilation” when referring to the buffalo herds. These words are often matched by the imagery showing numerous buffalo bodies strewn across the plains or silent, empty landscapes where once roamed vast herds.  • Phrases that speak to the “devastation of a way of life” or the “systematic destruction” of the buffalo resonate with the visuals—a stark contrast between the natural abundance of wildlife and the ruin left by mass hunting. If the image portrays the hunters in a triumphant manner or illustrates the machinery of war (such as railroads or military figures), this reinforces the language found in the primary source that frames the campaign as a calculated military strategy, even if at a steep human and ecological cost. In summary, the images and primary source together illustrate a moment in American history when expansion was pursued at the expense of both native cultures and the natural environment. The defense of this campaign by figures like General Shendan reveals the mindset of the era—a view that valued tactical advantage and resource control over the preservation of a people’s way of life and the integrity of the natural world.