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Sitting Bull

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Sitting Bull was a man whose life story has changed over the years. No matter what the story read, he was a leader and protector of his people. With his power and reputations, it eventually got him killed. Comparing 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica and the 1998 Encyclopedia of World Biography on the articles of Sitting Bull, it is acknowledged that his birth place, his title, his punishment, and death all differentiate; Mostly because they each represent two very different time periods in American life, and although they are both articles on Sitting Bull, one is more in depth than the other. In the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, we learned an out dated version of the Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull was born in 1837 in Willow Creek, North Dakota. Taking after his father, Jumping Bull, he became a Chief and medicine man of Dakota Sioux. He led attacks on the white settlements in Iowa and Minnesota during the Civil War. However, Sitting Bull pretended to make peace; he still attacked the whites. He would not agree to go back to the reservation. “His refusal to return to the reservation in 1876 led to the campaign in which General George A. Custer and his command were massacred” (qtd. In Warm 1/26). Nervous he would be punished for his actions, Sitting Bull, and his people moved to Canada. After returning to the United States, rumors spread of the Indian Messiah coming to wipe out the whites. The Indians feared for their land and decided to arrest Sitting Bull. As stated in the 1911 Britannica, “Creating such great unrest in Dakota, in 1889-1890 that it was determined to arrest Sitting Bull as a precaution” (qtd, in Warm 1/26). Sitting Bull was captured by surprise by the Indian police in 1890. While companions were trying to rescue him, he was then killed. In the 1998 Encyclopedia of World Biography, the article of Sitting Bull is told differently than the 1911 Britannica. Sitting Bull was born in 1831, in Grand River, South Dakota. As a tribal leader after gaining his fame in his twenties as a warrior, “He chose to become a medicine man and political leader, rather than a war chief” (Sitting Bull). After many attacks, Sitting Bull brought his people from the reservation and chose to fight after miners came upon the Sioux territory during the Black Hills gold rush in 1875. “Warned by General Alfred Terry to return to the Reservation, Sitting Bull replied “You won’t need any guides, you can find me easily; I won’t run away”(Sitting Bull). General George Custer had seen Sitting Bull although he did not participate in the fight that day. He decided to make medicine instead while Gal and Crazy Horse killed General Custer. From this event, Sitting Bull was forced to leave and take his people to Canada. Conditions no better than before, Sitting Bull returned to the United States in Ft. Buford to accept an offer made by the government. The offer was amnesty to all Indians that would surrender. Sitting Bull soon after became very popular. Stories about him spread all over. A book of him was even published, called “The Works of Sitting Bull.” He felt great about his appearance. A “ghost dance craze” in the Indian Reservation came about and Sitting Bull had nothing to do with it. “Soldiers arrested him for the fear he would lead the Sioux on war path” (Sitting Bull). Trying to fight for himself, Sitting Bull was shot, “Possibly by accident, possibly by design” (Sitting Bull). In the 1911 encyclopedia Britannica and the 1998 Encyclopedia of World Biography, two different articles of Sitting Bull were written. Comparing these two, each represent two very different time periods in American life. Although they both tell the story of Sitting Bulls life, the 1998 edition is more in-depth than the other. They are different because we now have more information. New technologies and resources are available for us to learn and give us accurate knowledge. Overall, the two stories of Sitting Bull differentiated by when he was born, where he was born, who he was, the killing of General Custer and his death.

Works Cited
"Sitting Bull." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. World History in Context. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
Warm, Cindy. English Composition 101. Middlesex Community College. Middletown , CT.
Spring 15. Lecture.

Works Cited
"Sitting Bull." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. World History in Context. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
Warm, Cindy. English Composition 101. Middlesex Community College. Middletown , CT.
Spring 15. Lecture.

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