wounded knee massacre

in 1889, some plains indians turned to a prophetic religious movement based on the "ghost dance," a group ritual that was supposed to give followers a vision of the world in 1891, when the whites would disappear and buffalo herds would return. the movement spread, and army officials feared a sioux uprising, so they rounded up suspected leaders. late in 1890, soldiers were holding 350 sioux at wounded knee creek in south dakota. gunfire was heard, and the soldiers opened fire on the sioux. nearly 200 men, women, and children were killed or wounded. organized indian resistance was at an end.