Discovery Channel - How the West Was Lost (DC) (1995) Part 13 As Long As the Grass Shall Grow

Witness the tragic fall of the great Indian nations. Share the tales of the “conquering” of the American West from the Native American perspective. How The West Was Lost is a series about the westward expansion of colonialists across the North American continent during the latter half of the 19th Century from the experience and point of of view of the Native American peoples. It is the story of how mutual misunderstanding, incomprehension and differing viewpoints contributed to bring into conflict an expanding nation and the land's indigenous population. Each episode examines a separate tribe or battle and features interviews with descendants of legendary Native American warriors.

Part 13 As Long As the Grass Shall Grow

Though the fledgling United States tried to respect Indian rights, the country couldn't restrain settlers' impulses to be “fruitful, multiply replenish the earth, and subdue it”. Every Indian felt the pressure as the white men moved them to smaller tracts of land further west, into an area called “Indian Country.” Despite being uprooted, the Cherokee enjoyed a Golden Age launched by an 1846 Treaty. They established public schools, and seminaries for men and women. (The female seminary was revolutionary since most Americans thought women were intellectually inferior to men). They also built homes and farms. But when the Civil War swept west, the railroads signalled the end of Cherokee sovereignty.

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