Question

the relationship between the united states government and native american tribes has been fraught with conflict.
early interactions
early encounters and european contact

• contact: before the establishment of the united states, there was already more than a century of contact between native americans and europeans.
• cultural differences: many native american tribes viewed land communally, valuing shared use over individual ownership, while european settlers treated land as private property.
• the revolutionary war: most tribes sided with the british, preferring the consistency of known colonial powers over the uncertainty of a new nation.
• the treaty of paris (1783): this treaty ended the revolutionary war but excluded native americans, who now had to negotiate with the united states, rather than the british. from the u.s. perspective, native americans were now living on land owned by the united states.

expansion and broken promises

• territorial growth: u.s. expansion through acquisitions like the louisiana purchase (1803) displaced many tribes. the u.s. government became inconsistent in honoring treaties and respecting tribal sovereignty.
• the end of treaty making: in the 1870s, the united states stopped negotiating new treaties and asserted its authority collectively over native tribes, largely ignoring tribal autonomy.

what shift happened in the 1870s regarding the u.s. approach to relations with native tribes?
the united states began returning land to native american tribes.
the united states adopted a friendlier stance, looking to end hostilities.
the u.s. government stopped negotiating with tribes on an individual basis.

Explanation:

To answer this, we refer to the "The End of Treaty Making" section in the text. It states that in the 1870s, the United States stopped negotiating new treaties and asserted its authority collectively over Native tribes, which means it stopped negotiating with tribes on an individual basis. The first option is incorrect as the U.S. was displacing tribes, not returning land. The second option is incorrect as the U.S. was ignoring tribal autonomy, not being friendlier.

Answer:

The U.S. government stopped negotiating with tribes on an individual basis.