Native American policy in the United States is a broad, complex and foundational part of the nation’s history. During the 1870s–1890s, federal policy shifted as the reservation system became firmly established and a push toward forced assimilation intensified. This presentation explores the impact of these policies in the Plains region through the story of Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca people, who were forced to leave their ancestral homeland in Nebraska and move 600 miles south to a reservation in present-day Oklahoma in 1877. Through their story, the program draws on primary sources from the Hayes Presidential Library and the Library of Congress to examine the circumstances of their removal during the Hayes administration, the events that led to the landmark civil rights case Standing Bear vs. Crook in 1879 and the lasting legacy of this historic struggle.
Alina Hart is the Education Coordinator at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. She graduated from Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, with a bachelor’s in History in 2018 and a master’s in Teaching in 2019. During her undergraduate studies, Hart developed skills in analyzing and interpreting primary sources, physical artifacts and historic spaces for diverse audiences and discovered a passion for sharing history with the public. After completing her master’s degree, Hart returned to Ohio and worked with Fremont City Schools as a substitute teacher for students in grades K–12 before joining the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums. Her education and professional experience prepared her to create engaging educational opportunities for learners of all ages through school tours, curriculum development and public programs and events.
