Nthe 1800s, thousands of bison lived in the great plains. both native americans and white settlers hunted the bison. in the 1870s, the u. s. government ordered the army to kill as many of the bison as it could. the government did not want the native americans to be able to find food. the government wanted them to move to reservations in order to get food. when the government killed the bison, it hurt the native americans of the great plains because a. they worshiped the bison as a god. b. they wanted to hunt with the white settlers. c. they rode bison instead of horses. d. they needed the bison for food.