“Conscience of Place: Sand Creek” by Verlyn Klinkenborg deals with several issues which may evoke pride, hatred, resentment, shame, and the like emotions in the reader. This essay is about Chivington, a small town in southeastern Colorado “named after a man who turned from the ministry to the military and made a reputation for himself fit only for a ghost town” (Atwan 322). The main point of the essay is racial discrimination against Indian people who themselves tried to stop racial slaughters taking place in their settlements at the end of the 19th century; the part of the essay which evokes the brightest emotions is the statement of Lincoln to two Indians who were then killed in a battle in 1864.
To begin with, the essay describes the battle which took place on November 1864 in Sand Creek between the troops of two leaders, Colonel Jon M. Chivington and Black Kettle. This battle became a starting point of racial discrimination against Indian people; they began to be pursuit by the citizens of Colorado who, according to the proclamation of August 11m 1864, were called “to go in pursuit of all hostile Indians on the plains, scrupulously avoiding those who have responded to my call to rendezvous at the points indicated; also, to kill and destroy as enemies of the country, wherever they may be found, all such hostile Indians” (Atwan 324). The most terrible thing was that Indian people, like any other, could be divided into hostile and friendly; since most people did not care much about distinguishing them, the pursuit turned into mere slaughtering of those who had skin color different from white.
The essay on the whole deals with Chivington’s plans to attack Indian settlements. “Political ambition and intractable moral ferocity drove Chivington, that and a panic caused by Confederate raids in southeastern Colorado”. Chivington intended to kill Indians regardless of whether they were hostile or friendly; he aimed to eradicate this race and he was driven by nothing but racial convictions. It was namely his fault that the war with the Indians started and, indeed, “every effort has been made for two years to produce it.” (Atwan 327)
Finally, the citation from this essay which evokes the strongest emotions is “We make treaties with you, and will try to observe them; and if our children should sometimes behave badly, and violate these treaties, it is against our wish.” (Atwan 330) These are Lincoln’s words; they contain much more than can be understood on the surface. What Lincoln wanted to say is that the present society exempted itself from any responsibility for people treating Indians badly in the future. These words evoke pride for they show how much Lincoln wanted all the people to be equal, but at the same time, they are a warning of the President who knew that nothing could be done to convince the society that racial wars were senseless, unless the society itself felt their senselessness. Unfortunately, it took time and human lives for society to realize this.
In sum, the essay which is a tiny part of American history shows what racial discrimination started with and what it led to. Lincoln’s words turned out to be a kind of prophecy for some part of him knew that future generations would still pursuit non-white citizens.
Works Cited
Atwan, Robert. Convergences: Message, Method, Medium. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.