By 1868 the Great Plains were being settled at speed, by Homesteaders, miners and ranchers. This rendered the previous treaty worthless as individuals and Government ignored Indian rights to land awarded them by treaties and laws.
This treaty gave the Black Hills of Dakota to the Sioux Indians ‘forever’. These lands held special religious meaning for the Indians and they were contained in this land. This extended the US Government’s programme of restricting Indians to small pockets of land (reservations) where they were reliant on Government handouts of food and money in order to live.