Native Americans Contributions To Society

On the year of 1980 was when he received his second Nobel Prize. This Nobel Prize was also in chemistry, for inventing a method of so called “reading” the molecular letters that make up the genetic code. This discovery was a big discovery

In the year of 1928, the famous accidental experiment was made. Mr. Fleming had found a liter Page 3 dish from an earlier experiment thought it was garbage, more closely observed it and found that one of the molds was actually killing the bacteria. He could tell because their nothing growing around it like the rest of the dish. This was essential because by presenting his findings, when it was later recognized as “important” or “useful”, doctors had found a way to help kill bacteria. Which was also a big part of World War Two and the amount of soldiers that had lasted because they didn't die due to open wounds.

Current American society is constantly affected by events from the past, but sometimes what society thinks is in the past is not so far behind. The way Native Americans were treated historically continually plays a part in current American society. Due to the racism and stereotypes carried throughout society the Native American cultural circle is constantly under fire.

THESIS STATEMENT: The Native Americans were historically doomed because of the Europeans inability to accept elements of Native American culture that they felt were savage, the natives inability to acknowledge the Europeans threat to their lifestyle and land, and the far superior European army used to defeat Indian tribes.

Our history is written by the winners of the bloody, and merciless battles that shaped our country. The hate that has slaughtered thousands of people, is also the hate that has made our country the beautiful tragedy it is today. We all know the history of how Christopher Columbus came to the native land, named the people here indians because he thought he was in the Indi mountains and brought disease and colonists to the land to make it part of spain.

Many people think that the African-Americans are the most oppressed group of people ever in the United States. That may be true based on the quality of oppression, but not the length of this type of treatment. The Native Americans have been the most oppressed group of people ever in the United States, and even in the colonies that preceded the US. From the early 16th century until even today, the Native Americans were and are being oppressed in this country. The cause was because of colonization. The Europeans colonization of what is now America led the Natives to despair and destruction.

My experience is a bit different compared to other minority group experiences because I am a Caucasian American with Hispanic from Central America. People from a minority of Native American, African American, Muslim American, Chinese/Japanese American, and Jewish American would all have a complete unalike experience compared to me. Central Americans and Vietnamese Americans I feel it is rare for these two cultures to come together and that is what makes my experience so unique to the situation. A similarity and the only similarity I could find between Central Americans and Vietnamese Americans is they both immigrated to the United States. Central America immigration has increased significantly and added to the diversity in the United States.

“Elie Metchnikoff” Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. 2008. Retrieved on January 14, 2014 from encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Elie_Metchnikoff.aspx

Throughout history, relationships between the Native Americans and the United States have been nothing but battle torn, and unfortunately have followed a consistent path of betrayal. There is no denying the universal fact that Native Americans have been unfairly treated and portrayed throughout American history. According to American history written during and after the war the Indian Wars that occurred were very subjective, and prejudiced in its depiction of the Native Americans. For example one work, The Pioneer History of America (1883), is titled, "A popular account of Heroes and Adventurers who, by their valor and war-craft, beat back the savages from the borders of civilization and gave the American forests to the plow and the sickle."

I did not know anything about this part of the US history either and it is interesting how all these things happen to the American Indians back then. It still haves a big impact in today’s society They are still fighting for their rights, fighting for land that is sacred for them. There is a lot of money saved on that federal account but like you said each one would get about ten thousand which is nothing compared to what the land is worth to them.

When starting this class I personally did not have a very detailed understanding of what or who indigenous people were, what made them important, and how they helped to shape what is now American history. To think that when settlers first came to the new land native americans made up one hundred percent of the population but now are roughly only one percent of the total population is very disappointing to see. This decline of population was due to many different factors such as, territorial conflicts, war, disease, and being forced to re-settle. When resettling, the journey alone that the native American had to take caused a huge decrease in population. Any population that is still here today is comprised of federally designed reservations. Although it is said that Hawaii and Alaska are two sates that have still refused to put in place any policies with Native Americans that seek out the rights to restrict them. I have learned that many native tribes that were geographically similar, often times came together to form nations, as well as confederacies. With these tribes being so similar yet so different, geographically and with the language, it often times lead to unity or division within these native communities, before the arrival of new settlers. With these differences we saw how each tribe played a part in the history of new settlers in the states as they each contributed something different to our history. This fact however gets looked over a lot of the time,

Taught in public schools that Native Americans were more primitive than their European counterparts; children and even adults continue to believe that before Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, the western hemisphere was essentially pristine, unsullied by mankind. To Columbus, the land must have looked ripe for the taking. However, despite his thoughts on conquering the ‘wilderness’, cultivating the land for the sake of his nation’s exploits, he was ignorant to the fact that man had already resided there and manipulated the land for generations. What is often unclear to society is the Native’s incomprehensible impact on their homeland, for the effects are not always visible to the naked eye.

The involvement of Native Americans in American history is an important component of the history of the United States. All too often little is taught about Native Americans in U.S. history classes in different time periods and misconceptions run abound. A common place to see blatantly incorrect depictions of Native Americans are in American films about the West. Often in these films Native Americans are of anonymous tribes or display characteristics of completely different tribes, are thirsty for white blood and scalps, and quickly fall down dead with white cowboys’ weapons. Both The Last of the Mohicans and Dances with Wolves, while maybe not Westerns, are feature length films who depict Native Americans and from different time periods,

It is no secret that many minority groups in America experience challenges that the average American is not subject to, but Native Americans, who live on reservations, experience a unique set of social hardships. Many of these hardships are due to the fact that they live on reservations where resources and esteem are scarce, but in order to preserve cultural identity and sovereignty, many natives believe it is not only their right to live on reservations, but their duty. Likewise, it is a duty of the United States government to provide these people, who have experienced a protracted history of violence and oppression at government’s hands, with the resources they need in order to live fruitful and happy lives. Native Americans are a group of peoples who deserve appreciation and dignity, but also a group who is struggling to survive as a result of the harm our nation has caused them and it is for this reason, we must increase assistance to natives on reservations.

When you feel worthless, and are told you are completely worthless, and start to believe it, would you have the strength to break down the walls? As a Native American it was hard, and still is, to feel as though you “belonged” in America. They struggle with high rates of suicide, are told they aren’t going to be anything but and Indian, and some overcome. But why do they have to be put through it?