Chief Joseph’s Surrender Speech
People sometimes forget that there were people living in America before Europeans came and took their lands by force. The natives did not go down without a fight, but in the end, the decades of fighting took their toll on them, and they were forced to surrender.
The speech Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe gave to General Howard in 1877 marked the complete defeat of the Native’s attempts to keep their lands and their customs. It’s heartbreaking to read and is a stark reminder of how brutal history can be.
