Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Download Social Problems 14th Edition Kornblum Test Bank all chapters
Download Social Problems 14th Edition Kornblum Test Bank all chapters
Test Bank
Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-14th-edition-kornblum-test-bank/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-14th-edition-
eitzen-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-14th-edition-
eitzen-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-7th-edition-
macionis-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-6th-edition-
macionis-test-bank/
Social Problems 3rd Edition Best Test Bank
https://testbankfan.com/product/social-problems-3rd-edition-best-
test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/investigating-social-
problems-2nd-edition-trevino-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/think-social-problems-2nd-
edition-carl-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/understanding-social-problems-
canadian-4th-edition-mooney-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/introduction-to-social-
problems-10th-edition-sullivan-test-bank/
CHAPTER 7
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. In the early 1940s, Swedish social scientist Gunnar Myrdal published a book entitled An
American Dilemma. In Myrdal's view, the "American dilemma" was __________.
a. the United States' indecision in the late 1930s about joining the Allies in World
War II
b. the question of what to do about the Russians after World War II was concluded
c. the situation of “poor and suppressed” minorities in the land of freedom and
opportunity
d. the expropriation of land and extermination of Native Americans during westward
expansion
e. the United States' failure to more quickly invade Germany in order to stop what
was happening to Jews in concentration camps
2. The constitutional bases for racial equality in the United States were laid by which
Amendments to the Constitution?
a. Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth
b. First, Fourth, and Fifth
c. Second, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Second
d. Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth
e. Twelfth, Eighteenth, and Twentieth
3. In 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down the Brown v. Board of Education
of Topeka decision. The Brown case involved __________.
a. compensation for those Americans deprived of property and interned on the West
coast in World War II
b. opening voting rolls to minorities by ending the poll tax
c. making discrimination in housing illegal
d. deciding that segregation in vehicles and terminals in interstate travel was
unconstitutional
e. declaring segregated educational facilities to be inherently unequal
4. How did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 differ from those in 1957 and 1960?
a. Lyndon B. Johnson had an important role in the 1964 act.
b. The 1964 act provided ways to deny federal money to local government units that
permitted discrimination.
c. The earlier acts did not cover discrimination against blacks.
d. The 1964 act covered schools as well as public facilities.
e. The earlier acts focused on voting, not economic discrimination.
220
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
5. The Civil
Rights Acts
and Voting
Rights Act
were passed
during the
__________.
a. Truman presidency from 1945-1952
b. Eisenhower presidency from 1952-1960
c. Kennedy-Johnson presidencies from 1960-1968
d. Nixon-Ford presidencies from 1968-1976
e. Reagan presidency from 1980-88
7. The first of the major urban riots of the 1960s occurred in a region called Watts, which
was a mostly black section of __________.
a. Detroit
b. Washington, D.C.
c. Los Angeles
d. Newark, New Jersey
e. Gary, Indiana
8. The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders is best known for its conclusion
that __________.
a. separate schools for whites and blacks are inherently unequal
b. the U.S. Constitution permits segregation in housing when important economic
interests are threatened by desegregation
c. Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President John F. Kennedy
d. our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and
unequal
e. the riots were caused by a black underclass that came to these cities from outside
in order to make trouble
9. The 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act included two provisions especially
important to Americans whose native language is not English. These provisions were
__________.
a. federal registrars and interpreters at the polls
b. bilingual elections if a city has a sizeable language minority and a ban of literacy
221
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
tests as a prerequisite for voting
c. bilingual instruction in our schools and ballots printed in two languages
d. bilingual candidates and voting registration that ignores the residence of voters so
they could not be identified as residing in an ethnic residential area
e. elections held on holidays celebrated by the minority and immediate (no waiting-
period) registration
10. Stanley Lieberson argues that when an immigrant group is small, adjustment to American
society is facilitated. The advantage he believes small size gives an immigrant group is
that it __________.
a. makes it easier to organize politically
b. is easier to maintain norms against out-marriage
c. provides a more compact group to move from place to place
d. makes it easier to register to vote since small numbers are less likely to be
recognized
e. makes it easier to develop an occupational niche or specialty
11. Categories of people who do not receive the same treatment as other categories in the
same society are termed __________.
a. selectivities
b. discriminators
c. minorities
d. categories
e. discriminatees
12. People who share certain inherited characteristics (such as eye folds or brown skin) are,
in the United States, members of __________ minorities.
a. ethnic
b. cultural
c. racial
d. religious
e. status
13. People in the United States who share non-American cultural features, such as language
and national origin, and regard themselves as a distinct group are members of
__________ minorities.
a. ethnic
b. religious
c. nationalist
d. racial
e. international
14. When members of either a racial or an ethnic minority group take on the characteristics
of the mainstream culture by adapting their own culture patterns, __________ has
occurred.
222
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
a. adaptation
b. assassination
c. cooptation
d. coercion
e. assimilation
15. Of the following, which is the LEAST important characteristic in a group being defined
as a minority by the larger society?
a. possession of socially visible physical or cultural traits seen as undesirable by the
dominant group in the society
b. a tendency to marry within the group
c. the subordination of the minority group
d. the numerical size of the minority group
e. a sense of group consciousness or "we-feeling"
16. Which of the following is NOT a basic characteristic of a racial or ethnic minority
group?
a. Members of the group practice exogamy; i.e., they marry outside of the group.
b. Members of the group develop a sense of group consciousness or "we-feeling."
c. Members of the group are born into it; their membership is transmitted by rule of
descent.
d. Members of the group have socially visible physical or cultural traits singled out
by the dominant group.
e. The group is subordinate to others in society.
17. Which of the following are minority groups in that they occupy a subordinate status,
possess special traits, and have group self-awareness?
a. racial and ethnic groups
b. the aged
c. homosexuals
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
223
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
19. The MOST important characteristic of dominant groups in all societies around the world
is their __________.
a. white skin
b. Protestant religious ethic
c. larger numerical size
d. economic and political power
e. level of education
20. The principal weapons in the protection of dominant group privilege are __________.
a. prejudice and discrimination
b. economic boycotts
c. beliefs and values
d. attitudes and inaction
e. political supplication and economic retaliation
21. __________ is behavior, in word or deed, that is motivated by the belief that human races
have distinctive characteristics that determine abilities and cultures.
a. Prejudice
b. Racism
c. Institutional discrimination
d. Stereotyping
e. Ethnocentrism
23. The two tendencies on the part of people that usually result in prejudice against the
subordinate group are the tendencies to __________.
a. be tentative and to be uneducated
b. rationalize discrimination and to be ethnocentric
c. hate and to be ignorant
d. accumulate wealth and to deny wealth to others
e. despise others and to do something about it
24. _________ refers to an emotional, rigid attitude toward the members of a subordinate
group.
a. Discrimination
b. Emotion
c. Prejudice
d. Predisposition
224
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
e. Emotional illness
26. The builder of a cooperative apartment house may not be negatively predisposed toward
Jews, but nevertheless may refuse to sell to a Jewish family in the belief that doing so
may make it difficult to rent the other apartments. In Robert Merton's typology of the
relationships between prejudice and discrimination, this builder would be a __________.
a. prejudiced discriminator
b. nonprejudiced nondiscriminator
c. prejudiced nondiscriminator
d. nonprejudiced discriminator
e. latent bigot
27. Using Robert Merton's perspective on the relationships between prejudice and
discrimination, "institutional discrimination" would involve __________.
a. discrimination where prejudice is absent
b. prejudice without discrimination occurring
c. discrimination where prejudice is present
d. prejudice combining with discrimination, with prejudice occurring first
e. discrimination combining with prejudice, with discrimination occurring first
28. An employer with substantial federal contracts holds negative attitudes toward members
of a particular group and doesn't wish to hire them. In fear of losing these contracts, the
employer gives all applicants fair consideration. In Robert Merton's typology of the
relationships between prejudice and discrimination, this employer would be a/an
__________.
a. active or outright bigot
b. prejudiced nondiscriminator
c. prejudiced discriminator
d. nonprejudiced discriminator
e. nonprejudiced nondiscriminator
29. To understand the origins of prejudice and discrimination in a society, one must consider
both_________.
a. the felt needs of individuals and the structural organization of society
b. society in theory as well as society in practice
c. individual psychological and physiological processes
d. individual ideals and individual actions
e. dominant group practices and dominant group beliefs
225
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
30. Sometimes aggression cannot be directed at the real source of frustration but is redirected
toward a similar but safer and more convenient target. In this situation, aggression
involves __________.
a. submission
b. rejection
c. a scapegoat
d. reorientation
e. stereotyping
32. Attributing those personal traits that you consider undesirable to the members of a
minority group, and then condemning these people for having these traits refers to
__________.
a. rationalization
b. aggression
c. projection
d. rejection
e. frustration
33. According to the authors of your text, which of the following is a commonly cited
example of projection?
a. believing that the Russians want to dominate the world
b. blaming ourselves for prejudice against minorities
c. Hispanic beliefs that blacks take their jobs
d. beliefs among immigrants that America will be, for them too, a land of
opportunity
e. white beliefs that exaggerate black sexuality
34. When we consider factors of social structure that are important in the origins of prejudice
and discrimination, we observe that dominance and subordination involve a competitive
struggle for possession of valued goods. According to the text, this is, ultimately
__________.
a. a psychological process, understood by investigating human acquisitiveness
b. an economic process of free-market competition
c. an educational process involving the acquisition of skills
d. a religious process, reflecting the dominant values of the society
e. a political process involving a struggle for power
226
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
35. Which of the following are the most obvious forms of economic exploitation of
subordinate groups by dominant groups?
a. slavery and serfdom
b. wage rates and piece-rate employment
c. expulsion and genocide
d. discrimination and underemployment
e. bureaucratic supervision and industrial management
36. A very important cultural factor in prejudice and discrimination involves the social
standards that specify the kind of behavior that is appropriate in a given situation. These
standards are called social __________.
a. values
b. beliefs
c. norms
d. statuses
e. judgments
37. Children are likely to learn the prejudices of their parents, and group members are likely
to discriminate if discrimination is common in the group. This reflects the power of
__________.
a. habit
b. social norms
c. education
d. individuality
e. values
38. __________ is the requirement that one must marry a person similar to oneself in
religion, social class, and race or ethnicity.
a. Endogamy
b. Polygamy
c. Exogamy
d. Polyandry
e. Homogamy
227
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
40. Attributing a fixed, exaggerated, distorted, and usually unfavorable or inaccurate
conception to a category of people illustrates the process of __________.
a. scapegoating
b. simulation
c. projection
d. stereotyping
e. rationalization
41. Some people believe that all Sicilians are gangsters, that all old people are senile, that all
people with long hair are drug addicts, and that all Native Americans are alcoholics.
These beliefs are the product of __________.
a. empirical experience
b. stereotyping
c. projection
d. rationalization
e. scapegoating
42. Milton Yinger has pointed out that human problems like racial disharmony are best
viewed f rom which of the following perspectives?
a. psychological
b. social-structural
c. cultural
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
43. Discrimination built into the structure and form of society is called __________
discrimination.
a. institutional
b. structured
c. conscious and intended
d. erected
e. formal
44. The text observes that many blacks, Chicanos, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, women,
and members of other minority groups have questionable protection of the law in their
dealings with public institutions. This reflects ___________.
a. institutional discrimination
b. systematic prejudice
c. stereotyping
d. reverse discrimination
e. racial profiling
45. The phenomenon described as “Driving While Black” is an illustration of __________.
a. ethnocentrism
b. cultural relativity
228
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
c. selective perception
d. racial profiling
e. segregation
46. At all levels of education, minority group members earn less than their nonminority
counterparts, and the text observes that even better than a “sheepskin” is __________.
a. a technical credential
b. practical, “street smarts”
c. to be independently wealthy
d. to apprentice with a majority-group member
e. a white skin
48. __________ segregation results from housing patterns, economic patterns, and
gerrymandered school districts.
a. Gerrymandered
b. Ex-post facto
c. De jure
d. De facto
e. Ad hoc
49. A recent study by the Harvard Project on School Desegregation revealed that
__________.
a. resegregation of the races is decreasing
b. the vast majority of white students attend schools that enroll an equal number of
white and of minority group members
c. enrollment of Hispanic students has decreased by almost 200 percent
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
50. In a study of trends in residential segregation and poverty in the United States, sociologist
Douglas Massey and his colleagues found that __________.
a. the largest cities have made the most progress in reducing housing segregation
b. many urban problems are actually lessened by heavy segregation
c. failure to enforce federal laws against housing discrimination continues to
produce rates of black segregation that are far higher than those experienced by
any other group in U.S. history
d. Both a and c above
e. None of the above
229
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
51. In order to avoid desegregating a neighborhood, some real estate agents avoid showing
minority group members housing in that neighborhood, and, instead, show them housing
only in areas where minority group members live. This is referred to as __________.
a. property avoidance
b. exercising a restrictive covenant
c. selective selling
d. browbeating
e. racial steering
52. An agreement among neighborhood homeowners not to sell their property to people who
were designated as "undesirable" involves what is called a __________.
a. restrictive covenant
b. racial lease
c. discriminatory clause
d. property avoidance certificate
e. de facto discriminatory section
53. Which of the acts listed below that prevents minority groups from having equal access to
housing) have been judged to be illegal?
a. racial steering
b. restrictive covenants
c. blockbusting
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
54. In __________ a black or minority couple is sent to real estate agents and shown (or not
shown) certain types of housing. Then a white couple is sent to the same agents and the
results are compared; this process is repeated many times with different agents to
determine whether a systematic pattern of discrimination exists.
a. blockbusting research
b. restrictive covenant research
c. racial leasing research
d. property avoidance research
e. audit research
230
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
56. The access of blacks to good jobs has often been impeded by discrimination against
blacks in the training programs and apprenticeships of __________.
a. government agencies
b. trade schools
c. labor unions
d. proprietary law schools
e. professional schools
57. Within the United States population, the problem of finding adequate employment is
MOST serious for __________.
a. adult white females
b. young black and Hispanic men
c. middle-aged white males
d. young white males and females
e. middle-aged white and Hispanic females
58. Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro found that about __________ of Americans own
almost no assets other than a car.
a. one-fourth
b. one-third
c. one-half
d. two-thirds
e. three-fourths
60. In 2004, the median net worth of Hispanic households was approximately__________.
a. $88,000
b. $58,750
c. $28,500
d. $17,500
e. $8,474
61. According to your text, the American criminal justice system may be most inherently
discriminatory in __________.
a. the arrest process
b. the parole process
231
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
c. the bail system
d. sentencing
e. the jury system
62. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights section on the Right to
Participate in Government, every citizen shall have which of the following rights and
opportunities?
a. To take part in the conduct of public affairs
b. To vote and to be elected in genuine periodic elections
c. To have access, under general conditions of equality, to the public service of his
country
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
63. According to The Sentencing Project, an estimated ___ million Americans adults have
currently or permanently lost the ability to vote because of a felony conviction.
a. .9
b. 1.9
c. 2.9
d. 3.9
e. over 10
64. In states with the most restrictive voting laws, __________ percent of African American
men are likely to be permanently disenfranchised.
a. 40
b. 50
c. 60
d. 70
e. 80
66. In his study of the effects of discrimination on individual personalities, Robert Coles
determined that with continuous friendly contact between white and black children ____.
a. the prejudices of both the children and their parents were broken down
b. interracial dating occurred
c. school performance of both whites and blacks increased
d. prejudices held by the children were affirmed and intensified
232
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
e. extracurricular activities became segregated
67. The first significant public protest in the movement for civil rights for blacks during the
mid-twentieth century in the United States was the __________.
a. march in Alabama from Selma to Montgomery
b. "freedom rides" through the south
c. lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Nashville, Tennessee
d. Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott
e. march on Washington, D.C.
68. Research conducted by sociologist Joe R. Feagin in major metropolitan areas documented
__________.
a. the persistence of discrimination and prejudice directed against middle-class
blacks in public places
b. that blacks frequently experience avoidance by whites and are rejected, harassed,
and victimized by other threats
c. that black citizens are increasingly asserting their rights even in embarrassing
social situations and are demanding redress and apologies from business owners
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
70. __________ refers to policies based on a body of federal law originating in the 1964
Civil Rights Act that bans discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national
origin in such areas as employment, education, and housing.
a. Affirmative action
b. Public accommodation
c. Desegregation
d. Anti-racism
e. Obligatory integration
71. The United States Supreme Court decision regarding Alan Bakke and the University of
California at Davis Medical School was a landmark case in __________.
a. school desegregation
b. public accommodation
c. affirmative action
d. voting rights
e. government-funded scholarships
233
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
72. What is referred to as "reverse discrimination" is __________.
a. discrimination that blacks extend toward whites
b. giving minorities a preference that some whites feel discriminates against them
c. slowing or reversing the civil rights gains of the 1960s
d. reversing the policies of the Reagan administration that discriminate against the
poor and minorities
e. reversing the policies that favor private business over the public sector
74. In an influential study titled American Apartheid, sociologists Douglas Massey and
Nancy Denton demonstrate that native-born blacks in the United States are __________.
a. less segregated (and always have been) than most other racial and ethnic groups
b. equally segregated in comparison to other racial and ethnic groups
c. far more segregated (and always have been) than any other racial or ethnic group
d. slightly more segregated (but only recently) in comparison to other racial and
ethnic groups
e. None of the above
76. Critics of federally funded preschool programs aimed at preparing disadvantaged children
for school point out that, considering the period in the lifespan when the most important
emotional and intellectual development occurs, the most important "educators" must be
__________.
a. college teachers
b. peers
c. parents
d. employers
e. high school teachers
234
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
77. Which of the following statements about immigration is FALSE?
a. Social scientists argue that for a country with low overall birthrate, the combined
flow of legal and illegal immigration can spur economic growth.
b. The Immigration Act of 1986 increased the quotas of immigrants significantly,
and attempted to decrease illegal immigration from Mexico.
c. Anti-immigration sentiments have declined significantly since passage of the Act
of 1986.
d. Citizens of immigrant-receiving states like California and Arizona harbor
negative feelings about the economic and social competitions they will face from
immigrants.
e. None of the above.
ESSAYS
78. The United States has a long history of inequality. Identify the major minority groups in
American history, citing important events and changes during their time in the United
States.
79. Define the term minority group. Identify the important minority groups in the United
States today. How can they be classified?
80. What is assimilation? What are the important factors affecting the rate of assimilation of
a group?
81. What are the basic characteristics of dominant groups? How do they establish and
maintain their dominance?
82. Define prejudice and discrimination. In what possible ways do they relate to each other?
84. There are social, structural, and cultural approaches to explaining prejudice and
discrimination. Describe each, including in your discussion the important concepts that
are part of these approaches.
85. What is institutional discrimination? How does it work and in what ways are people
affected by it?
86. One of the most common techniques employed to effect school desegregation was
busing. What does the evidence of over two decades of busing show?
87. Minority group members suffer discrimination in various areas of American life.
235
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Describe the patterns of discrimination against minorities in housing, employment,
justice, and political discrimination.
88. Describe the consequences of prejudice and discrimination for both those who are the
objects of prejudice and discrimination and for the society at large.
89. Affirmative action has been a way to redress the discrimination that minority groups have
received. What is affirmative action, and how does it work? What are the arguments for
and against this policy?
90. What is political discrimination? Has the election of Barack Obama in 2008 as the first
black president reduced incidents of political discrimination? Give reasons for your
answer.
91. Describe the racialization of Mexican Americans in the southwestern states. Do you think
the passage of strict immigration laws by the states has contributed to this problem?
Explain, giving examples.
92. It is widely concluded that reducing non defense governmental expenditures for "social
programs" hurts minorities. In what ways do these reductions hurt minority group
members?
236
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
KEY TO MULTIPLE CHOICE ITEMS
Q A P Q A P Q A P
1. c 226 27. a 232 53. b 241
2. a 226, 227 28. b 232 54. e 241
3. e 227 29. a 232 55. a 243
4. b 227 30. c 232 56. c 243
5. c 227 31. d 233 57. b 243
6. a 227 32. c 233 58. b 243, 244
7. c 227 33. e 234 59. c 244
8. d 227 34. a 234 60. d 244
9. b 227 35. d 234 61. c 245
10. e 228, 229 36. c 234 62. d 246, 247
11. c 227, 228 37. b 234 63 d 247
12. c 229 38. e 234 64. a 248
13. a 229 39. b 234 65. e 248
14. e 229 40. d 234, 235 66. a 248
15. d 229 41. b 235, 236 67. d 248
16. a 229 42. d 236 68. d 249
17. d 229 43. a 236 69. b 250
18. e 229, 230 44. a 236 70. a 250
19. d 229, 230 45. d 237, 238 71. c 251
20. a 230 46. e 239 72. b 251
21. b 230 47. c 240 73. a 252
22. c 231 48. d 241 74. c 252, 253
23. b 231 49. e 240, 241 75. b 227, 252
24. c 231, 232 50. e 241 76. c 255
25. e 231, 232 51. e 241 77. c. 255
26. d 231, 232 52. a 241
220
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
accordance with civilized custom; and, having been taken from his
people at so early an age, was apparently satisfied with the life he
led. The Indians who came to our camp expressed a great desire to
see him, and when he was brought into their presence they exhibited
no emotion such as white men under similar circumstances might be
expected to show. They evidently were not pleased to see him
clothed in the white man’s dress. The little fellow, then some eight or
ten years of age, seemed little disposed to go back to his people. I
saw him the following year in the village of his tribe; he then had lost
all trace of civilization, had forgotten his knowledge of the English
language, and was as shy and suspicious of the white men as any of
his dusky comrades. From older persons of the tribe we learned that
their first act after obtaining possession of him was to deprive him of
his “store clothes,” and in their stead substitute the blanket and
leggings.
Rightly concluding that the Indians did not intend to come to our
camp as they had at first agreed to, it was decided to move nearer to
their village. On the morning following the conference held with the
two chiefs of the “Dog Soldiers,” our entire force therefore marched
from Fort Larned up Pawnee Fork in the direction of the main village,
encamping the first night about twenty-one miles from the fort.
Several parties of Indians were seen in our advance during the day,
evidently watching our movements; while a heavy smoke, seen to
rise in the direction of the Indian village, indicated that something
more than usual was going on. This smoke we afterwards learned
arose from the burning grass. The Indians, thinking to prevent us
from encamping in their vicinity, had set fire to and burned all the
grass for miles in the direction from which they expected us. Before
we arrived at our camping-ground we were met by several chiefs
and warriors belonging to the Cheyennes and Sioux. Among the
chiefs were Pawnee Killer of the Sioux, and White Horse of the
Cheyennes. It was arranged that these chiefs should accept our
hospitality and remain with us during the night, and in the morning all
the chiefs of the two tribes then in the village were to come to
General Hancock’s headquarters and hold a council. On the morning
of the 14th Pawnee Killer left our camp at an early hour, for the
purpose, as he said, of going to the village to bring in the other chiefs
to the council. Nine o’clock had been agreed upon as the hour at
which the council should assemble. The hour came, but the chiefs
did not. Now an Indian council is not only often an important but
always an interesting occasion. And, somewhat like a famous recipe
for making a certain dish, the first thing necessary in holding an
Indian council is to get the Indian. Half-past nine o’clock came, and
still we were lacking this one important part of the council. At this
juncture Bull Bear, an influential chief among the Cheyennes, came
in and reported that the chiefs were on their way to our camp, but
would not be able to reach it for some time. This was a mere artifice
to secure delay. General Hancock informed Bull Bear that as the
chiefs could not arrive for some time, he would move his forces up
the stream nearer to the village, and the council could be held at our
camp that night. To this proposition Bull Bear gave his assent.
At 11 A. M. we resumed the march, and had proceeded but a
few miles when we witnessed one of the finest and most imposing
military displays, prepared according to the Indian art of war, which it
has ever been my lot to behold. It was nothing more nor less than an
Indian line of battle drawn directly across our line of march; as if to
say, Thus far and no further. Most of the Indians were mounted; all
were bedecked in their brightest colors, their heads crowned with the
brilliant war-bonnet, their lances bearing the crimson pennant, bows
strung, and quivers full of barbed arrows. In addition to these
weapons, which with the hunting-knife and tomahawk are considered
as forming the armament of the warrior, each one was supplied with
either a breech-loading rifle or revolver, sometimes with both—the
latter obtained through the wise foresight and strong love of fair play
which prevails in the Indian Department, which, seeing that its wards
are determined to fight, is equally determined that there shall be no
advantage taken, but that the two sides shall be armed alike;
proving, too, in this manner the wonderful liberality of our
Government, which not only is able to furnish its soldiers with the
latest improved style of breech-loaders to defend it and themselves,
but is equally able and willing to give the same pattern of arms to
their common foe. The only difference is, that the soldier, if he loses
his weapon, is charged double price for it; while to avoid making any
such charge against the Indian, his weapons are given him without
conditions attached. In the line of battle before us there were several
hundred Indians, while further to the rear and at different distances
were other organized bodies acting apparently as reserves. Still
further were small detachments who seemed to perform the duty of
couriers, and were held in readiness to convey messages to the
village. The ground beyond was favorable for an extended view,
allowing the eye to sweep the plain for several miles. As far as the
eye could reach small groups or individuals could be seen in the
direction of the village; these were evidently parties of observation,
whose sole object was to learn the result of our meeting with the
main body and hasten with the news to the village.
For a few moments appearances seemed to foreshadow
anything but a peaceful issue. The infantry was in the advance,
followed closely by the artillery, while my command, the cavalry, was
marching on the flank. General Hancock, who was riding with his
staff at the head of the column, coming suddenly in view of the wild
fantastic battle array, which extended far to our right and left and not
more than half a mile in our front, hastily sent orders to the infantry,
artillery, and cavalry to form line of battle, evidently determined that if
war was intended we should be prepared. The cavalry, being the last
to form on the right, came into line on a gallop, and, without waiting
to align the ranks carefully, the command was given to “draw sabre.”
As the bright blades flashed from their scabbards into the morning
sunlight, and the infantry brought their muskets to a carry, a most
beautiful and wonderfully interesting sight was spread out before and
around us, presenting a contrast which, to a military eye, could but
be striking. Here in battle array, facing each other, were the
representatives of civilized and barbarous warfare. The one, with but
few modifications, stood clothed in the same rude style of dress,
bearing the same patterned shield and weapon that his ancestors
had borne centuries before; the other confronted him in the dress
and supplied with the implements of war which the most advanced
stage of civilization had pronounced the most perfect. Was the
comparative superiority of these two classes to be subjected to the
mere test of war here? Such seemed the prevailing impression on
both sides. All was eager anxiety and expectation. Neither side
seemed to comprehend the object or intentions of the other; each
was waiting for the other to deliver the first blow. A more beautiful
battle-ground could not have been chosen. Not a bush or even the
slightest irregularity of ground intervened between the two lines
which now stood frowning and facing each other. Chiefs could be
seen riding along the line as if directing and exhorting their braves to
deeds of heroism.
After a few moments of painful suspense, General Hancock,
accompanied by General A. J. Smith and other officers, rode
forward, and through an interpreter invited the chiefs to meet us
midway, for the purpose of an interview. In response to this invitation
Roman Nose, bearing a white flag, accompanied by Bull Bear, White
Horse, Gray Beard, and Medicine Wolf on the part of the
Cheyennes, and Pawnee Killer, Bad Wound, Tall Bear that Walks
under the Ground, Left Hand, Little Bear, and Little Bull on the part of
the Sioux, rode forward to the middle of the open space between the
two lines. Here we shook hands with all of the chiefs, most of them
exhibiting unmistakable signs of gratification at this apparently
peaceful termination of our rencounter. General Hancock very
naturally inquired the object of the hostile attitude displayed before
us, saying to the chiefs that if war was their object we were ready
then and there to participate. Their immediate answer was that they
did not desire war, but were peacefully disposed. They were then
told that we would continue our march toward the village, and
encamp near it, but would establish such regulations that none of the
soldiers would be permitted to approach or disturb them. An
arrangement was then effected by which the chiefs were to
assemble at General Hancock’s headquarters as soon as our camp
was pitched. The interview then terminated, and the Indians moved
off in the direction of their village, we following leisurely in rear.
A march of a few miles brought us in sight of the village, which
was situated in a beautiful grove on the banks of the stream up
which we had been marching. The village consisted of upwards of
three hundred lodges, a small fraction over half belonging to the
Cheyennes, the remainder to the Sioux. Like all Indian
encampments, the ground chosen was a most romantic spot, and at
the same time fulfilled in every respect the requirements of a good
camping-ground; wood, water, and grass were abundant. The village
was placed on a wide, level plateau, while on the north and west, at
a short distance off, rose high bluffs, which admirably served as a
shelter against the cold winds which at that season of the year
prevail from these directions. Our tents were pitched within half a
mile of the village. Guards were placed between to prevent intrusion
upon our part. A few of the Indian ponies found grazing near our
camp were caught and returned to them, to show that our intentions
were at least neighborly. We had scarcely pitched our tents when
Roman Nose, Bull Bear, Gray Beard, and Medicine Wolf, all
prominent chiefs of the Cheyennes, came into camp, with the
information that upon our approach their women and children had all
fled from the village, alarmed by the presence of so many soldiers,
and imagining a second Chivington massacre to be intended.
General Hancock insisted that they should all return, promising
protection and good treatment to all; that if the camp was abandoned
he would hold it responsible. The chiefs then stated their belief in
their ability to recall the fugitives, could they be furnished with horses
to overtake them. This was accordingly done, and two of them set
out mounted on two of our horses. An agreement was also entered
into at the same time that one of our interpreters, Ed. Gurrier, a half-
breed Cheyenne who was in the employ of the Government, should
remain in the village and report every two hours as to whether any
Indians were leaving the village. This was about seven o’clock in the
evening. At half past nine the half-breed returned to headquarters,
with the intelligence that all the chiefs and warriors were saddling up
to leave, under circumstances showing that they had no intention of
returning, such as packing up such articles as could be carried with
them, and cutting and destroying their lodges, this last being done to
obtain small pieces for temporary shelter.
I had retired to my tent, which was located some few hundred
yards from that of General Hancock, when a messenger from the
latter awakened me with the information that General Hancock
desired my presence at his tent. Imagining a movement on the part
of the Indians, I made no delay in responding to the summons.
General Hancock briefly stated the situation of affairs, and directed
me to mount my command as quickly and as silently as possible,
surround the Indian village, and prevent the departure of its
inhabitants. Easily said, but not so easily done. Under ordinary
circumstances, silence not being necessary, I could have returned to
my camp, and by a few blasts from the trumpet placed every soldier
in his saddle almost as quickly as it has taken time to write this
sentence. No bugle calls must be sounded; we were to adopt some
of the stealth of the Indian—how successfully remains to be seen. By
this time every soldier, officers as well as men, was in his tent sound
asleep. How to awaken them and impart to each the necessary
order? First going to the tent of the adjutant and arousing him, I
procured an experienced assistant in my labors. Next the captains of
companies were awakened and orders imparted to them. They in
turn transmitted the order to the first sergeant, who similarly aroused
the men. It has often surprised me to observe the alacrity with which
disciplined soldiers, experienced in campaigning, will hasten to
prepare themselves for the march in an emergency like this. No
questions are asked, no time is wasted. A soldier’s toilet, on an
Indian campaign, is a simple affair, and requires little time for
arranging. His clothes are gathered up hurriedly, no matter how, so
long as he retains possession of them. The first object is to get his
horse saddled and bridled, and until this is done his own toilet is a
matter of secondary importance, and one button or hook must do the
duty of half a dozen. When his horse is ready for the mount the rider
will be seen completing his own equipment; stray buttons will receive
attention, arms be overhauled, spurs restrapped; then, if there still
remain a few spare moments, the homely black pipe is filled and
lighted, and the soldier’s preparation is completed.
The night was all that could be desired for the success of our
enterprise. The air was mild and pleasant; the moon, although nearly
full, kept almost constantly behind the clouds, as if to screen us in
our hazardous undertaking. I say hazardous, because there were
none of us who imagined for one moment that if the Indians
discovered us in our attempt to surround them and their village, we
would escape without a fight—a fight, too, in which the Indians,
sheltered behind the trunks of the stately forest trees under which
their lodges were pitched, would possess all the advantage. General
Hancock, anticipating that the Indians would discover our approach,
and that a fight would ensue, ordered the artillery and infantry under
arms, to await the result of our moonlight venture. My command was
soon in the saddle, and silently making its way toward the village.
Instructions had been given forbidding all conversation except in a
whisper. Sabres were so disposed of as to prevent clanging. Taking
a camp-fire which we could see in the village as our guiding point,
we made a detour so as to place the village between ourselves and
the infantry. Occasionally the moon would peep out from behind the
clouds and enable us to catch a hasty glance at the village. Here and
there under the thick foliage we could see the white, conical-shaped
lodges. Were their inmates slumbering, unaware of our close
proximity, or were their dusky defenders concealed, as well they
might have been, along the banks of the Pawnee, quietly awaiting
our approach, and prepared to greet us with their well-known war-
whoop? These were questions that were probably suggested to the
mind of each individual of my command. If we were discovered
approaching in the stealthy, suspicious manner which characterized
our movements, the hour being midnight, it would require a more
confiding nature than that of the Indian to assign a friendly or
peaceful motive to our conduct. The same flashes of moonlight
which gave us hurried glimpses of the village enabled us to see our
own column of horsemen stretching its silent length far into the dim
darkness, and winding its course, like some huge anaconda about to
envelop its victim.
The method by which it was determined to establish a cordon of
armed troopers about the fated village, was to direct the march in a
circle, with the village in the centre, the commanding officer of each
rear troop halting his command at the proper point, and deploying his
men similarly to a line of skirmishers—the entire circle, when thus
formed, facing toward the village, and distant from it perhaps a few
hundred yards. No sooner was our line completely formed than the
moon, as if deeming darkness no longer essential to our success,
appeared from behind her screen and lighted up the entire scene.
And a beautiful scene it was. The great circle of troops, each
individual of which sat on his steed silent as a statue, the beautiful
and in some places dense foliage of the cotton trees sheltering and
shading the bleached, skin-clad lodges of the red man, while in the
midst of all murmured undisturbedly in its channel the little stream on
whose banks the village was located, all combined to produce an
artistic effect, as beautiful as it was interesting. But we were not
there to study artistic effects. The next step was to determine
whether we had captured an inhabited village, involving almost
necessarily a fierce conflict with its savage occupants, or whether
the red man had again proven too wily and crafty for his more
civilized brothers.
Directing the entire line of troopers to remain mounted with
carbines held at the “advance,” I dismounted, and taking with me
Gurrier, the half-breed, Dr. Coates, one of our medical staff, and
Lieutenant Moylan, the adjutant, proceeded on our hands and knees
toward the village. The prevailing opinion was that the Indians were
still asleep. I desired to approach near enough to the lodges to
enable the half-breed to hail the village in the Indian tongue, and if
possible establish friendly relations at once. It became a question of
prudence with us, which we discussed in whispers as we proceeded
on our “Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are creeping,” how far from
our horses and how near to the village we dared to go. If so few of
us were discovered entering the village in this questionable manner,
it was more than probable that, like the returners of stolen property,
we should be suitably rewarded and no questions asked. The
opinions of Gurrier, the half-breed, were eagerly sought for and
generally deferred to. His wife, a full-blooded Cheyenne, was a
resident of the village. This with him was an additional reason for
wishing a peaceful termination to our efforts. When we had passed
over two-thirds of the distance between our horses and the village, it
was deemed best to make our presence known. Thus far not a
sound had been heard to disturb the stillness of the night. Gurrier
called out at the top of his voice in the Cheyenne tongue. The only
response came from the throats of a score or more of Indian dogs
which set up a fierce barking. At the same time one or two of our
party asserted that they saw figures moving beneath the trees.
Gurrier repeated his summons, but with no better result than before.
A hurried consultation ensued. The presence of so many dogs in
the village was regarded by the half-breed as almost positive
assurance that the Indians were still there. Yet it was difficult to
account for their silence. Gurrier in a loud tone repeated who he
was, and that our mission was a friendly one. Still no answer. He
then gave it as his opinion that the Indians were on the alert, and
were probably waiting in the shadow of the trees for us to approach
nearer, when they would pounce upon us. This comforting opinion
induced another conference. We must ascertain the truth of the
matter; our party could do this as well as a larger number, and to go
back and send another party in our stead could not be thought of.
Forward was the verdict. Each one grasped his revolver,
resolved to do his best, whether it was in running or fighting. I think
most of us would have preferred to take our own chances at running.
We had approached near enough to see that some of the lodges
were detached some distance from the main encampment. Selecting
the nearest of these, we directed our advance on it. While all of us
were full of the spirit of adventure, and were further encouraged with
the idea that we were in the discharge of our duty, there was
scarcely one of us who would not have felt more comfortable if we
could have got back to our horses without loss of pride. Yet nothing,
under the circumstances, but a positive order would have induced
any one to withdraw. The doctor, who was a great wag, even in
moments of greatest danger, could not restrain his propensities in
this direction. When everything before us was being weighed and
discussed in the most serious manner, he remarked: “General, this
recalls to my mind those beautiful lines: