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Native American Paternalism In The 1800s

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The most basic function of government is to protect its citizens from all types of oppression, whether it be militarily, economically, or socially. Paternalism is a method in which an authority, in this case the United States Government, limits a person or group’s rights or autonomy for their own good. It is compared to the relationship between a parent and a child, were the parent will take a stance over their naive and incapable child because they know what is best for them. This practice of paternalism has been used throughout much of the United States’ Indian policy, dating back to the 1800s. It continued well into the 20th century with the issue of the Native Americans and their poor living conditions within the reservations. During the 1950s, the government strongly encouraged members of the Native American …show more content…

Conditions on the reservations were poor with very little capacity for economic growth. Studies show that the median income for Native American families was 57% of the white family median income; in 1945, the average net income of 51% of those on reservations was $501 or lower. Their solution was to encourage and assist those living on reservations to move to urban cities, secure a job, and adapt to a more urban way of life. Commissioner Dillon S. Myer put the plain in motion in 1950. He created the Branch of Placement and Relocation in the Indian Bureau to handle the relocation process. Relocation agencies were set up in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dallas. The Bureau of Indian Affairs job was to direct new arrivals and arrange financial and job training programs for them .The bureau provided money for housing, support for children, and counseling and guidance in finding a job. Randy Edmonds, who grew up in Anadarko, Oklahoma, tells his experience of being confronted with a BIA

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