Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, leaders of the Sioux on the Great Plains, strongly resisted the mid-19th-century efforts of the U.S. government to confine their people to reservations. This battle is the story of how Indian tribes came together because they were tired of being mistreated after previously signed treaties. The battle of Little Bighorn would be the last victory for the American Plains Indian. If the U.S had accomplished their goal of returning the Indians back to reservations, it would have just been another Indian uprising put to rest. All would have been the same, except the Indians and their way of life would have been destroyed sooner than later. Smaller battles were fought later, ending with the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. After that, the Indians were forced on to the reservations. The United States crushed the spirit of the American Indian. The Indians were no longer independent and they relied on the government for food and shelter, most of which was low quality. Indian Life for many on the reservations today has not changed. They are some of the poorest areas in the U.S.