Native American civil rights have been a very long and hard journey for native Americans. Throughout history they were treated in such harsh and horrible ways. Their land was taken from them, they were relocated, forced to fight in wars, portrayed as savages, they were not given citizenship for many years, etc. Native Americans were granted citizenship in 1924, however they were still facing many injustices. For many years, they were taken from their homes and put in boarding school to try to make them more American. They couldn’t speak their native language and they were taught trades like farming or brick laying. In the 50s about 100 tribes were legally terminated by the US government and Native people were relocated from their reservations. …show more content…
Not only was he concerned with Native American civil rights, he was also concerned with the way they were portrayed. In 1983, he filed a lawsuit against the Cleveland Indians for their mascot, Chief Wahoo. The mascot was a stereotypical Indian with a large nose, big teeth, a feather in his hair and black paint around his eyes. Means spoke on behalf of many Native Americans who were tired of the way they were depicted on advertisements throughout the years. Similar to Means, a woman by the name of Amanda Blackhorse is working to cancel the trademark protection of the Washington Redskins. While at a Redskin’s game she heard people shouting racist and stereotypical sayings like, “go back to your reservation.” She wants to put an end to the stereotyping of Native Americans in advertisements like Means. Russell wanted Native Americans to be shown the way they truly are and have always been. He did this especially in 1992, when he started his acting career with a part in “The Last of The Mohicans” as Chingachgook. Over the years, Native Americans have been portrayed in horrible ways especially in movies. They were often depicted as blood thirsty savages or a not very bright. It’s significant for a Native American to play a Native American in movies to make it more authentic and real. Throughout the years, Russell and other members of AIM were constantly trying to bring awareness to the treaties their ancestors signed with the US government and how the government never fully kept up their end of the treaty. Means proposed a territory to be an independent Republic for Lakota and other people. The land he suggested was the same as the land from the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The people who live in the Republic of Lakotah are self-proclaimed as independent from the state. Even though the US does not recognize them as that way, it’s a big step towards
Russell Means, (born Nov. 10, 1939, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota—died Oct. 22, 2012, Porcupine, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation), Oglala Sioux activist who championed Native American rights and drew attention to the mistreatment of native peoples with audacious and controversial actions that were equal parts protest and theatre. As a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Means orchestrated a takeover in 1970 of a replica of the Mayflower ship in Plymouth, Mass., a prayer vigil in 1971 atop the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and a weeklong occupation in 1972 of the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters in Washington, D.C. He also helped lead the occupation in 1973 of the town of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Despite winning the court case the Native American people’s need and rights were completely disregarded. Their homes were ripped away from them and their voices were silenced, as they could not even vote at the time.
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,
Despite the letter of law, Andrew Jackson and military forces marched in and forced Native-Americans to leave the lands they’ve lived for centuries. They all made this entire journey on foot, with no supplies, clothing, or food funded with them from the government. Thousands upon thousands of innocent people died along the way. The Native-Americans were all marginalized by having to leave everything they owned, having to march for hundreds of miles with no supplies, and lastly
One of the most celebrated protests happened February 1973 at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. This was the site of the 1890 massacre of the Sioux Indians murdered in cold blood by American federal troops. AIM occupied and seized the town of Wounded Knee for about two months, demanding changes in their administration and asking the government to honor their treaty obligations that were said to be forgotten. Only one Indian was killed during this protest and another one wounded. The Indian civil rights movement, like most other civil rights movements of their times did not win full justice and equality for their people. The principal goal to some Native Americans was to defend, and protect their rights as Native Americans. As to other Native Americans it was equality. Native Americans wanted to win a place in society as an equal to all groups that made up Americans. However, there is no single Indian culture or tradition in America, so the movement to unite all Native American tribes failed. The Indian civil rights movement, for all the limitations it had endured, did accomplish winning a series of brand new legal rights and protections, which gave them a much stronger position in the twentieth century. (Brinkley, 2012 page
The Native American participation in the Civil War was very unique. The treaty party, or the Pro-removal Indians, saw expansion as inevitable. They were made of “mixed bloods” or part Indian, part European, and we assimilated into the white man’s culture. Many were actually plantation owners with slaves. They signed an illegal
Native Americans were very important to American history; they were the first people in America (Nash, 2010, p. 13). Native Americans have their own form of governing, vastly different language, religious beliefs, and dress and for some reason the Natives have been generally excluded from American success (Nash, 2010, pg. 14-15). This is especially true when we look at how America put into place the "Manifest destiny" the idea that the United States had the God-given right and duty to take
In conclusion the oppression of Native Americans is an often overlooked subject. It's important to learn about this and be aware of it because many Native Americans still live on reservations. Their oppression has not yet dissipated completely and not until recently, as recently as 1962, were they allowed to vote in every state. So we must be well informed in order to continue to dissipate Native American oppression and try to correct the mistakes of the
The Native Americans have come across long journey of difficult times since the occupation of their land by European settlers. There are still two sides of a coin- a world of civilization and a world of underdeveloped society in this one country- USA. The paradox is that the constitution which seems to be a model of democracy to many nations of the world lacks a lot for not acting accordingly. Those organized and unorganized struggles of Native Americans were challenged by the heavily armed white majority settlers. This history is among the worst American experience because of the massacre and the violation against human right. In order to be heard, they protest, occupy land, and write books. The Native Americans have raised several
Native Americans Native Americans have been discriminated against the most. For example, they were treated poorly by the American people, treated like animals. The american people didn’t provide anything good for these poor people, they just forced them to provide things for themselves. Americans were so terrible to the Native Americans that we didn’t feed them, we didn’t give them a home, and we stole their land. The Native Americans were in America first and when we found their land, we raided it, conjured it, and took it all for ourselves.
It is interesting to see that it was John who wrote down this document, so the word "devil" to which the natives worshiped may be the bias from John in some extent. Although what the natives did to their captives was cruel, there is an interesting fact that they did not commit murder or crimes a lot in their society which had no law or penalty to rule them. However, they had their own way of revenge, and I think that is why they were so cruel to their enemies, because they did not like people to intrude their peaceful life.
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
The Native Americans and the United States have not always seen eye to eye on things since the beginning. The approach of the people of the white civilization has brought extreme agony and torture to the Native Americans. This was as a result of race playing a humongous part in humanity during this time, for this reason the Native Americans were looked down on and poorly treated by the white population. This was a strenuous point in time for the American Indians to adapt to society since their culture, attitudes, values, and beliefs were slowly being abandoned and the federal government wanting them to assimilate to the white culture. Since then the Native Americans have struggled to persevere on reservation lands, deprived of support, and for the most part hopelessness. There are many social problems that contribute to the delinquency of Native-American youth on the reservation. The community dilemmas that contribute to the failure of the Native-Americans younger generation are poor academic achievement, alcoholism, domestic violence, mental health issues, and unemployment. These horrendous matters will hopefully disappear in the time and Native-Americans will become successful in today’s society.
When you look at the history between the United States and the Native Americans, it has
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.