Which event is often referenced as a symbol of the end of the Indian Wars?

The Wounded Knee Massacre, which occurred in 1890, is often referenced as a symbol of the end of the Indian Wars due to its significant impact on Native American resistance against U.S. government policies. This tragic event resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Lakota Sioux, including many women and children, and represented a culmination of tensions between the U.S. government and Native American tribes.

Following the massacre, there was a notable decline in armed resistance among Indigenous peoples, as the brutality of the event underscored the overwhelming force of the U.S. military and the futility of continued armed conflict. Wounded Knee is seen not just as a violent confrontation but also as a turning point that led to the acceptance of a new, tragic reality for Native Americans—one characterized by reservation life and assimilation policies rather than warfare.

The events at the Pine Ridge Reservation leading up to the massacre were indeed crucial as they contributed to the context of the conflict, but the massacre itself is more commonly recognized as the definitive closing chapter in the prolonged series of conflicts referred to as the Indian Wars. Other events, like the Sand Creek Massacre, were brutal and significant but occurred earlier in the timeline of Native American-U.S. relations and do not carry the