Recently, a contractor working for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unintentionally released 3 million gallons of toxic mine waste into the Animas River in the Mountain West state of Colorado. Today, people in the US are debating the efficacy of the EPA (the right-wing is using the spill as anti-government propaganda) and the toxic aftermath the spill will undoubtedly have on local economies, communities and ecosystems. So far, the spill has "contaminated the Animas River, San Juan River, and the Colorado River in Utah." In addition, several "water supply systems have been affected by the spill. While the river system mostly serves farming communities, the disaster also poses a risk to the drinking water of 17, 000 people living …show more content…
According to history (some say legend), "In 1765, explorer Juan Maria Antonio Rivera was sent north from Santa Fe looking for gold, Indian settlements and evidence of European activity." The ensuing one hundred years were rife with geopolitical calculations and nation-state squabbles between France, Mexico, Spain and the US: treaties, territorial disputes, wars, assassinations, etc. Following the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. As a result, American settlers inundated the Mountain West region in search of wealth and new …show more content…
Their history is all but erased, their lives destroyed in the pursuit of material wealth (resource extraction). Superficial statues and hollow tributes now stand where vibrant human communities once lived for millennia. The US Government, unrecognized by vast portions of Native Americans, hence illegitimate in their eyes, ruthlessly imposed treaties, laws, cultural mandates and regulations on a population who never asked for such measures. There was resistance, but it was stamped out. Thus, the bloody history of European settlement is never far from the minds of indigenous people living in the US. It would be wise to recall the Sand Creek massacre of 1864, where "a 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacked and destroyed a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapaho in southeastern Colorado Territory, killing and mutilating an estimated 70–163 Indians, about two-thirds of whom were women and children." Indeed, from Sand Creek to My Lai, from Kandahar to Fallujah, US state-sponsored terror always produces the same results: massacres, mutilated bodies and unprosecuted
Native Americans have been forced out of their culture over time, forced into assimilation, lost their rights, and have lost their land due to policies and laws by the whites that can’t bear the Native American way of life. There used to be many Native American tribes all throughout North America, and now these tribes are spread across the country and are blended into the rest of the population. The native ways have changed drastically in the last two centuries due to relocation programs, Indian boarding schools, and the way to classify which tribe each person belongs to. Native Americans have endured so much pain, which results from everything they have lost over time, and they have constantly paid the price for their ethnicity.
Long ago on the great plains, the buffalo roamed and the Native Americans lived amongst each other. They were able to move freely across the lands until the white men came and concentrated them into certain areas. Today there are more than five-hundred different tribes with different beliefs and history. Native Americans still face problems about the horrific history they went through and today 's discrimination. The removal of American Indian tribes is one of the most tragic events in American history. There are many treaties that have been signed by American representatives and people of Indian tribes that guaranteed peace and the values of the Indian territories. The treaties were to assure that fur trade would continue without interruption. The American people wanting Indian land has led to violent conflict between the two. Succeeding treaties usually forced the tribes to give up their land to the United States government. There were laws made for Native American Displacement that didn’t benefit the Native Americans, these laws still have long lasting effects on them today, and there was a huge number of Native Americans killed for many reasons.
When most people hear of Native Americans, they cannot help but think of elaborate headdresses, red skinned warriors, and lively dancing. Although these aspects of Native American culture are fascinating, more important is where they fare in our society 's past and present. Restrictive laws and acts such as the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Reorganization Act, Fort Laramie treaties, and the Trail of Tears forced Native Americans from their lands. When settlers and the American government saw the resistance of Native Americans to forced assimilation, they resorted to racial discrimination and relocation to reservations. This history of discrimination has fueled calls for the United States government to pay reparations and the return of Native Americans to their indigenous lands.
From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,
Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight. The unanticipated consequence was the subsequent creation of a pan-American Indian identity
After some 3 million gallons of toxic mine water spilled into this big, western river, the economic costs are being tallied by farmers, fly fishing shops, and bankers. Politicians are pointing fingers at each other. It is no accident that federal and Colorado officials have tried to put the best face on disaster. The former actually triggered the incident and the latter have a tourist season to save.
In response to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which expelled Native Americans from their homes, President Andrew Jackson said, “It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the process of decay, which is lessening their numbers,” (Jackson). It’s safe to say that Jackson proved to be a bad prophet. Almost two hundred years later, the “first Americans” now possess only a fraction of American land and face a litany of struggles. Of course, the demise of Native American culture and influence didn’t happen suddenly, but was a result of hundreds of years of oppression. Though European colonialism was a factor in Native American genocide, a critical analysis of specific American policies in the 19th century is crucial to understand how we got where we are today. Ultimately, a series of government actions that encouraged American settlement of the west created a snowball effect that drove American Indians to near extinction. The settlement of the American west had serious harmful implications on Native Americans through forced migration westward, theft of Indian land, and a series of wars with white settlers.
Native Americans are known to be the first inhabitants of the territory which is now known to be North America and as a result the United States of America. They fought through treacherous battles and countless endeavors to be able to live in their homes only to be relocated by American settlements. Centuries past, yet the Native American people still stay loyal to their land. From aggressive resettlements to forced cultural assimilation, they gave up everything they had to stay alive. In modern times, the Native American people have sought agreements and were granted trade-offs in respect to previous events that shocked their ancestors. Of these including but not limited to, territorial reassignments, healthcare coverage, and other governmental
The Native American tribes of today, are nothing compared to their ancestors. The treatment, hostility, and silver tongues of the past damage can never be fixed no matter how many words, medals, promises, and gifts you give them. The late Native American culture and its tribes have been unfairly mistreated and misrepresented with lies from propaganda, breach of treaties, and harsh antagonization from American business owners and regular people alike. These actions have put a horrendous reputation on the local native tribes, from past to present, that some Americans may never understand.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was supposed to be cleaning up. Instead, the government agency made a big mess -- unleashing an estimated 3 million gallons of mine waste into the Animas River. It's a yellow-orange, toxic mess that stretches 100 miles into the Navajo Nation.
The Native American ethnic groups of today, are nothing compared to their ancestors. The treatment, hostility, and silver tongues of the past damage can never be fixed no matter how many words, medals, promises, and gifts you give them. The late Native American culture and its ethnic groups have been unfairly mistreated and misrepresented with lies from propaganda, breach of treaties, and harsh antagonization from American business owners and regular people alike. These actions have put a horrendous reputation on the local native ethnic groups, from past to present, that some Americans may never understand.
The amount of pollution that has spilled is three times more than was previously reported (Garrison, 2015). As of August 10th, the mine was still discharging 500 gallons a minute into the Animus River. The EPA administrator Shaun McGrath has stated that the EPA has contained the rest of the spill in two ponds near the spill site and they are treating it (Garrison, 2015). Another group of people affected by the spill is the Navajo Nation, and the Navajo Nation commission has declared a state of emergency. The Nation is 27,000 square miles and has been considered to be the size of some of the smaller states like West Virginia. Navajo Nation president Russel Begaye has asked an attorney to look into filing a lawsuit against the EPA (Garrison, 2015). Russel has also stated his dissatisfaction with the EPA’s handling of this disaster, along with not being clear about exactly what toxins have been released into the river. The people of the Nation are concerned about the water quality and how it will affect drinking water, cattle, and crops. The EPA seems to have made quite a few mistakes in dealing with this spill; New Mexico’s Governor Martinez says that she did not even find out about the spill from the EPA. She received the information from tribal officials in Southern Ute (Garrison,
Many Americans have been become sick, stricken with anger as their children become ill, and worse -death by the surrounding contaminated waters that continue to pop up around our fifty states. Some claim current regulations are not being met, nor do they feel the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enough authority to proceed with the pollution at hand. On the other end of the spectrum, proponents in the debate believe the EPA have far too much authority, and that there are “too many regulations” handed out by the federal government (Facts on File, 1).
What we call America today was once a land whose name was only known its natives. A land that was in essence untouched and pure. A land where people thrived and did not go without, where life was valued and preserved but would be forgotten. European explorers were the first civilized culture to discover the New World and name it America. This would forever change the lives of Native Americans and their generations to come. The Europeans valued conquest with no regard for the native tribes, they sought to colonize and establish themselves and their form of government. As more Europeans arrived, the Native Americans were forced to leave or adapt to the ways of the Europeans. Many old lineages of native people were erased from existence, families
This problem makes many rivers across the world too tainted for humans use, which leads to water famines and such.