Episode Overview

Theme:
In this episode of Letters from an American (December 28, 2025), historian Heather Cox Richardson reflects on the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. She intricately details the haunting events leading up to the massacre, explores the tragedy's tragic inevitability, and urges listeners to understand the lessons history offers for shaping a better future. Richardson poignantly weaves personal reflections from her research with a broader call to moral action in the present.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Tragedy at Wounded Knee: What Happened?

• Events of December 29, 1890
  • On a frigid morning at the Pine Ridge Reservation, U.S. soldiers attempted to confiscate a Lakota man's Winchester rifle, the only protection he had for his family (00:11).
  • A struggle ensued: "As the men struggled, the gun fired into the sky. Before the echoes died, troops fired a volley that brought down half of the Lakota men and boys..." (00:39).
  • Total chaos followed as uninjured Lakota fought back and women attempted to flee; the military responded with deadly force, resulting in the deaths of approximately 250 Lakota men, women, and children.

The Crucial Night Before: The Avoidable Disaster

• The Night of December 28
  • Richardson asserts that what is most haunting was not the massacre itself, but the lost chance to prevent it:

    “But it is not December 29th that haunts me. What haunts me is the night of December 28th. On December 28th, there was still time to avert the massacre.” (02:03)

  • Detail on Satanka’s (Big Foot’s) leadership:
    • Despite severe illness, Satanka urged his people to surrender peacefully, hoping for safe passage to shelter with Red Cloud’s band at Pine Ridge.
    • The Lakotas, exhausted and fearful after learning of Sitting Bull’s murder, complied and were escorted to Wounded Knee under the Army’s watch.
    • Soldiers initially celebrated the bloodless conclusion, expecting to be sent home:

      “Then the soldiers settled into guarding the camp, and the soldiers celebrated, for they saw themselves as heroes of a great war, and it had been bloodless.” (05:13)

  • Mounting tension:
    • Reinforcements—including the 7th Cavalry and mountain guns—arrived, raising Lakota anxieties.
    • The Lakota questioned why surrender was met by overwhelming force.

The Inevitable, and the Lessons of History

• Reflection on Fate and Agency

  • Richardson expresses grief over history’s irreversible march:

    “One of the curses of history is that we cannot go back and change the course leading to disasters, no matter how much we might wish to. The past has its own terrible inevitability, but it is never too late to change the future.” (06:18)

  • Personal connection to the history:
    • Writing her book on Wounded Knee was a deeply painful task; Richardson recounts how she would write about scenery and wildlife to delay what was coming in her narrative (06:40).
    • Each year, she revisits the story, unable to shake its emotional weight.

• Why Tell These Stories?

  • Richardson reveals her motivation stems from the desire to prevent future tragedies:

    “...someone asked me why I write as if I am running out of time, and it hit me that I write these letters because no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop the Wounded Knee Massacre. But maybe I can help to stop the next one.” (07:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Unavoidable Tragedy:

  “The past has its own terrible inevitability, but it is never too late to change the future.”
  (Heather Cox Richardson, 06:18)

• On the Weight of Historical Responsibility:

  “...no matter how hard I tried, I could not stop the Wounded Knee Massacre. But maybe I can help to stop the next one.”
  (Heather Cox Richardson, 07:18)

Essential Segment Timestamps

• 00:00 — Opening recount of December 29, 1890, and the start of violence
• 02:03 — Reflection on the night of December 28th and the possibility to avert disaster
• 03:40-05:13 — Details of the surrender, military expectations, and Lakota fears
• 06:18 — musing on the curse of history and the impossibility of reversing tragedy
• 06:40-07:18 — Richardson’s personal connection, reason for writing, and hope for the future

Tone & Style

Richardson narrates in a sober, contemplative style, interweaving vivid historical detail, personal struggle, and a call to collective responsibility—prompting listeners to remember, reckon, and act.