Genocide is one of the saddest and most consternating phenomena that persecute humanity for centuries. One of the severest cases of genocide in the United States is the Massacre at Wounded Knee that took place in the Indian Reservation in South Dakota on December 29, 1890. Thousands of innocent Indians were cruelly murdered only because they occupied lands that had been very attractive for the white immigrants. In the following paper, the video file describing all the sadness of the events of those days will be addressed with the purpose of studying this gloomy episode in American history. Overall, as it is evident from the video under consideration, the Massacre at Wounded Knee is bloodcurdling genocide caused by the spread of racist ideas among white immigrants in the United States that can be rightfully called ‘American holocaust’ due to the extent of severity with which this crime against humanity was committed, and due to its mind-blowing caliber.
The Massacre at Wounded Knee has left its terrible bloody trace on the bright history of vindication of democratic values and the advocation of human rights in the United States. Killing innocent people including women, children, and the aged to settle various ideological and political issues is not only inhumane, but is also senseless. It can be compared to many other forms of tyranny that people in the other parts of the world had to face. No one can forget all the horrors of the unprecedented genocide in Rwanda and Darfur where millions of innocent civilians lost their lives during a few weeks. The death machine in those territories had an unrivaled craving and unlimited desire for blood. People who visited those lands during the days of genocide will never forget such pictures as the following one:
The picture is taken in 1994 in Rwanda. It shows a deadly wounded youngster. In less than a minute after shooting the image, the young man died. Seeing the suffering of this kind leaves no doubt that human rights activists and politicians must do their best to conquer genocide eternally. Just as the events that took place in Rwanda and Darfur, the Massacre at Wounded Knee was a great mistake of the government that historians and common people would never forget.
Of course, those who initiated the Massacre at Wounded Knee had ambitious goals in their minds. As it is evident from the video file under consideration, the west of the United States was central to what the new American nation perceived as the ideal place for living (“Massacre At Wounded Knee”). Politicians and the other prominent people of the new country wanted to grab these lands by all means, and they did not care about the consequences, and the price they had to pay (Ostler 1991). Exalted American families including the families of the foremost leaders in business, economics, and politics started their fierce battle for justifying the genocide of Indians and realizing the plan of their total destruction at the end of 1890 (Ostler 1991). As a result, on December 29, 1890, innocent civilians and ordinary soldiers were pushed to exsanguinate poor Indians and take away their lands (Bateman 62).
The video file under consideration well shows all the pains and horrors that Indians had to go through during the sanguinary day of December 29, 1890. In addition, the video file demonstrates all the stages which later transitioned into the killings at Wounded Knee and the explanations for them from different sides. Thus, the audience may have a very clear picture of the events that took place on the date of the genocide. Besides, the roles played by the ghost dance as well as Indian prophet Wovoka at the beginning of the massacre are well documented in the video file to show the connection between the events that are taking place during this genocide. Finally, the file discloses exceptional and precise claims of the grievances that the Indians had, and the several trials of the military forces in attempting to correct corrupted Indian officials transcribed as agents. On the whole, the ghastly picture of Massacre at Wounded Knee, depicted by the authors of the file, leaves no doubts that genocide as a phenomenon must be exterminated forever.
In conclusion, it should be stated that genocide is one of the most terrible realias existing in human life, and the genocide that occurred at Wounded Knee is not an exception. Studying the video file offered for this assignment, the audience faces a variety of awful scenes that took place in the history of the United States. The spread of racist ideas that caused this sad episode in the country’s history must never happen again because, as it is evident from the video file, it leads to the unprecedented spread of violence and aggression that bring reproach on the traditional values of the American people including vindicating of democratic freedoms and the advocation of human rights. Such a terrible event as the Massacre at Wounded Knee or ‘American genocide’, as it is often called, must never happen again.
References
Bateman, Robert. “Wounded Knee.” Military History 24.4 (2007): 62-72. Print.
Massacre At Wounded Knee n. d. Web. Video file. 2012.
Ostler, Jeffrey. “Wounded Knee: Party Politics And The Road To An American Massacre.” Journal Of American History 97.4 (2011): 1090-1092. Print.