The Medicine Lodge Treaty involved negotiations between the U.S. government and several tribes of the southern Great Plains, aiming to bring an end to conflicts arising from American expansion into Native American territories. The treaty was signed at Medicine Lodge Creek in Kansas, where representatives from the Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and other tribes gathered with U.S. officials. This meeting was part of a broader strategy by the federal government to reduce hostilities and consolidate Native American tribes into designated reservations. The treaty established that tribes would surrender their claims to vast territories in exchange for a reservation in present-day Oklahoma.

Among the terms of the treaty, the U.S. promised to provide annual supplies, goods, and financial support to the tribes in return for their peace and compliance with relocation. The agreement also identified the responsibilities of the U.S. government in maintaining peaceful relations and promised military protection against potential hostilities from settlers and other tribes. However, these assurances were often not fulfilled, leading to further conflicts and disillusionment among Indigenous peoples.

The signing of the Medicine Lodge Treaty was both a military strategy and a political maneuver aimed at reducing armed resistance from the tribes while increasing American settlement in the West. The treaty's implementation ultimately led to significant cultural and social shifts for the tribes involved, forcibly relocating them and disrupting traditional ways of life. Many tribes resisted the move, leading to further tensions and violence in the years to come. The treaty's legacy continues to impact Native American sovereignty and land rights discussions today.