Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Buffalo Soldier Uniform Coat"

An Army for the Nation, 1866-1914

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:09:17 GMT

In this online exhibition, students will learn how West Point graduates influenced the development of the United States both domestically and abroad between the Civil War and the beginning of the Twentieth Century. After the Civil War, the United States Army was kept small in size while its main responsibilities were fighting Indians in the West, maintaining order in labor disputes and performing ceremonial functions. In the late 1800s, West Point graduates played important roles in the Spanish-American and Philippine Wars and were vital to the success of engineering projects such as the building of the Panama Canal and the reshaping of Washington, D.C. An Army for the Nation is part of the online exhibition, West Point in the Making of America.

Western Indian Wars

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:11:33 GMT

In the decades following the Civil War, the U.S. Army fought dozens of engagements with Indians in the West. This website explores Federal Indian policies and conflicts that arose as Americans flooded west into the Great Plains. Through the use of images and objects from the Museum's collections, students will learn about: Sitting Bull, George Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn; the massacre at Wounded Knee; the resistance of Geronimo and the Chiricahua Apache; buffalo soldiers; and the realities of life on Indian Reservations. A non-flash version of the site is available: Western Indian Wars.

The Spanish American War

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:33:38 GMT

Students will learn the details of the Spanish-American war including: the causes of the war; the influence of Yellow Journalism; the successes of a modernized American navy; the war in Cuba and the Philippines, the Philippine Insurrection and the new foreign policy of expansionism in this section of the online exhibition entitled The Price of Freedom: Americans at War. America went to war against Spain to free Cuba from Spanish domination. But the war provided the United States an opportunity to seize overseas possessions and begin building an American empire. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Spanish American War.