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American Indian Political Activism Essay

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American Indian political activism played a tremendous role throughout history, which has laid the foundation for how Indians are being treated with more respect in today’s society. In 1961, about the same time as the meeting in Chicago, the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) was founded (Hudson). The goal of the NIYC was to protest against civil disobedience and to bring awareness to Indian heritage (Document of Indian Militancy, pg. 527). To promote the NIYC, young Indians would speak at colleges, important national organization meetings and hearings of government agencies (Document of Indian Militancy, pg. 527). This group of activists served as a new generation that was proud of their heritage and not willing to accept being sucked …show more content…

Many Indians resorted to alcohol, believing that a beer could solve their problems, “He thought one more beer could save the world. One more beer and every chair would be comfortable, one more beer and the light bulb in the bathroom would never burn out” (The Lone Ranger and Tonto First Fight in Heaven, pg. 88). The goal of AIM was to help Indians get back on their feet and become successful (Hudson). To achieve their goal of helping their fellow citizens, AIM would help other Indians find jobs and get an education (Hudson). AIM simply wanted change for urban Indians by helping in anyway possible (Hudson). In addition to helping other Native Americans, AIM was also concerned with police abuse, specifically in Minneapolis (Hudson). In 1968, AIM created the Indian Patrol, which would watch ghettos and listen to police calls (Hudson). If the Indian Patrol saw police being unjust, they would take pictures to serve as evidence (Hudson). In 1969, AIM went to patrol Alcatraz Island (Hudson). The members along side the NIYC were there to defend their culture (Hudson). Through all of their efforts and actions, the outcome of AIM was quite successful. AIM was able to expand from being local to national, which was a great source for many Native Americans. In 1944 the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was established (Hudson). The

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