Question

Which option best explains why the U.S. Dakota War started during the Civil War?

The Dakota had attempted to join the Union Army to aid in the fighting, but a miscommunication led to violence and war.
When the Civil War started, the U.S. Army sent troops into the West to take over reservations and the Dakota decided to fight back.
When the Civil War started, the Dakota supported the Confederacy and decided to attack Union troops close to home.
Once the Civil War started, the government fell behind on promised payments and supplies for the Dakota people, leaving them starving and angry.

Answer 1

Once the Civil War began, the federal government fell behind on treaty annuity payments and supplies to the Dakota (Sioux). Starvation, broken promises, and pressure from encroaching settlers led to escalating tensions and ultimately the outbreak of the Dakota War of 1862 in Minnesota.