Final answer:
The Witman Massacre was a tragic event during the westward expansion movement in the 1840s, where missionary Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa were killed by Cayuse warriors. Tensions between settlers and Native American tribes, including misunderstandings about medical treatments, played a role in the attack. The incident led to the Cayuse War and a change in the relationship between settlers and Native Americans in the region.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Witman, or Whitman, Massacre was a tragic event that occurred during the westward expansion movement in the 1840s. It took place in present-day Oregon when a group of Native Americans attacked and killed missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, along with several other settlers. The motives behind the attack were complex and rooted in tensions between the European-American settlers and the Native American tribes in the region.
The Whitmans had established a mission among the Cayuse people, but as more settlers arrived in the area, tensions increased. The Cayuse people felt threatened by the encroachment of the settlers on their land and resources. Additionally, the Whitmans' medical treatments, which included administering medicines and vaccinations, were misunderstood by some Cayuse as harmful and caused distrust.
In November 1847, a group of Cayuse warriors attacked the mission, killing Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, as well as twelve other people. The following year, the United States government launched a military campaign known as the Cayuse War as a response to the massacre. The war resulted in the surrender of the Cayuse people and marked a significant shift in the relationship between European-American settlers and Native American tribes in the region.