Halle+Parker


 * What is your //general// belief about who or what is most responsible for causing the conflict?**

Misunderstanding and prejudice is the main cause of the Whitman Massacre. If the Cayuse would have taken time to talk to Marcus Whitman about how the whites have been exposed to measles and the indians haven't that would have saved a lot of trouble. Instead they chose to kill whites just because the couldn't ask a simple question. The indians were prejudice they killed Dr. Whitman and his wife Narcissa plus many whites, becuase whites weren't dying and the indians were. They didn't care even if it wasn't the whites fault, instead they killed them anyway.

**What is the relevant background information (i.e. who, what, when, where)?**

The Whitman Massacre started on November 29th, 1847. The Massacre took place in Waiilatpu. All of the new white settlers and Cayuse Natvie Americans were involved because the Cayuse killed the whites. The Native Americans used the suppplies and shelter Marcus Whitman provided at his missionary. Little did they know they would later murder him and his wife. The measles outbroke which caused the Native Americans to kill the whites because they believed that Marcus Whitman's medicine was bad, but actually it was just that the Cayuse didn't have immunity because they have never had it.

**What were 3 factors that helped cause the conflict (politics, economics, geography, history)?**

The first factor that helped cause the Whitman Massacre is that the whites brought the measles to the Cayuse Native Americans. Which caused them to die. The second factor is that Cayuse had a different religion and Marcus Whitman tried to convert them at the missionary he built. Another major reason/factor is that they were a different race so when the native americans died and the whites didn't, the Cayuse then got furious and decided to go around and kill innocent whites. The whole thing was caused by a misunderstanding and impatient people.

**Explain why one factor is more important than the others.**

The fact that the whites weren't dying was more important because the Cayuse thought Marcus Whitman was lying to them and giving them bad medicine but actually they just didn't have immunity. The Cayuse Native Americans used the Whitman's missionary to get the things he provided there. They ended up just using him and then killing him, where the purpose of the missionary was to convert the Cayuse.

**How could the conflict have been avoided?**

If the Cayuse asked Marcus Whitman some questions about measles and why white people weren't dying and the cayuse people were. There would have been little to no comflict. The Cayuse thought that Marcus Whitman's medicine didn't work but actually it was just that the Cayuse didn't have immunity to measles and the whites did. Many simple questions could have been asked, but instead the Cayuse chose to fight and kill the people that didn't die, because the had immunity and the Native Americans didn't.


 * What sources of information have you used? **

" Marcus and Narcissa" __P.B.S.__ 2001. P.B.S. 5/20/09.  Lambert, Dale A. and Clark, Dustin W. __Washington: A State of Contrasts__. East Wenatchee, WA:DMI,2008