Racism And The American Indian

Before, during, and after the Civil War, American settlers irreversibly changed Indian ways of life. These settlers brought different ideologies and convictions, such as property rights, parliamentary style government, and Christianity, to the Indians. Clashes between the settlers and Indians were common over land rights and usage, religious and cultural differences, and broken treaties. Some Indian tribes liked the new ideas and began to incorporate them into their culture by establishing written laws, judicial courts and practicing Christianity, while other tribes rejected them (“Treatment”). Once the United States purchased Louisiana from the French in 1803, Americans began to encroach into the Indian lands of the south and west

Native Americans have been neglected, abused, and tormented since the 1700’s when their land was abruptly invaded by Europeans. Europeans declared this “unknown” territory to be their property from then forward and did anything and everything to make sure this would happen. This included forced assimilation, where Natives were stripped of their cultural traditions and forced to assimilate to an english speaking, westernized culture (McLeigh, 2010). This included taking children from their families and sending them to boarding school to learn a new language, new cultural traditions, and new religious practices. Starting in 1860 and lasting until 1970, children were taken from their families at a young age and often lost touch with their family

From as early as the time of the early European settlers, Native Americans have suffered tremendously. Native Americans during the time of the early settlers where treated very badly. Europeans did what they wanted with the Native Americans, and when a group of Native Americans would stand up for themselves, the European would quickly put them down. The Native Americans bow and arrows where no match for the Europeans guns and cannon balls. When the Europeans guns didn’t work for the Europeans, the disease they bought killed the Native Americans even more effectively.

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.

An often forgotten group of oppressed people are Native Americans. Many gloss over or just ignore the injustices they have faced. Such examples of their oppression are prevalent but often neglected. Such as how they were faced with many injustices from american settlers as they tried to force them from their land , the countless massacres, and lastly the atrocities they faced on the trail of tears.

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,

The Native Americans began to be stripped of their customs and even forbidden to speak their native languages (All About history.org 2002). Children were taken from their tribes and sent to schools to civilize them forcing the children to abandon their heritage. Eventually U.S. government forced the Native Americans to live on ‘reservations’ were the majority of Native Americans still reside today. Thousands of Native Americans suffered with this relocation there was five tribes total “Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole and a few others (Bryan, 2007). Theses Native Americans were promised the Indian Land where they would be free from any settlers and able to live free on Indian land. Many consider these Native Americans are as very resilient people.

During America’s Gilded Age, a drastic change in the west transpired. While many Native Americans had already endured profound changes, their freedom was about to become nearly extinct. It was a time in which they called the Second Industrial Revolution. There was an ample amount of natural resources and a development in the market for manufactured goods. Railroad companies flourished and alas, Indian removal was imperative in obtaining land for laborers and miners (Foner, Give Me Liberty!, p.477). As Americans wanted to take their land, they also wanted to strip Native Americans of their culture. The federal government strived in trying to civilize them, so The Bureau of Indian Affairs created boarding schools all over the west in the 1870s. These schools were for Native American children of all ages. The goal was complete “assimilation” (Mabalon, 9/9/15). The children were forced to dress differently, they gained new names, and they were isolated from any cultural influence. It was as though they were forced to give up tradition. It caused them to start having hatred towards their culture and to be ashamed of themselves. Native Americans lost their values and their freedom almost completely. They were essentially being taught how to be white capitalists. (Mabalon, 9/9/15). It wasn’t until after a long, painful struggle and resistance that they finally gained citizenship for all in 1924. Even then, there was still a great way to go until the Native Americans were able to

and their effects are still occurring today and need to be made known to spare the

The book “Lakota Woman,” is an autobiography that depicts Mary Crow Dog and Indians’ Lives. Because I only had a limited knowledge on Indians, the book was full of surprising incidents. Moreover, she starts out her story by describing how her Indian friends died in miserable and unjustifiable ways. After reading first few pages, I was able to tell that Indians were mistreated in the same manners as African-Americans by whites. The only facts that make it look worse are, Indians got their land stolen and prejudice and inequality for them still exists.

Native American history is, almost definitely, one of the bloodiest and most tragic series of events ever recorded. From the time when Europeans first landed in America, Indians were enslaved, persecuted, used, violated, and slaughtered by explorers and, later, colonists and

Native Americans have been historically oppressed in America and continue to struggle today; from the poverty rampant in their community, to the deterioration and appropriation of their traditional values, culture, and way of life. While times are changing, many of Native Americans’ rights still face ill-treatment by the local and federal governments. In the early 1800s, the U.S. government created policies to assimilate Natives into European-American society. Despite many tribes based in nomadic culture, the 1851 Indian Appropriations Act authorized the creation of the first reservations, forcing the Natives onto reserved pieces of land. Under the act, the tribes were considered independent, sovereign nations at the time. However, the poor quality of life on the reservations led to a policy of forced assimilation. In 1887, the Dawes Severalty Act, otherwise known as the General Allotment Act, broke apart reservations that held communal Native tribes, into smaller subdivisions. These divisions of land were then assigned to individuals within the tribe. The effort was done in order to pressure the Natives into becoming farmers or ranchers. Yet because the pieces of land provided to the Natives were so arid and and unsuitable for cultivating crops, they were unable to grow and profit. Native Americans continue to suffer beyond the nineteenth-century well into the mid twentieth-century. From 1956 to 1969, the Indian Relocation Act was enforced in order to terminate

Native Americans were the first to be in The United States of America before it became the country it is today. Settlers came here to their land and took their land, food, and ways to survive. Settlers than began forcing them into small sections of land and forgot about them. Fast forward to present day U.S.A. Native Americans are still in the little areas given to them, but now they have been forgotten. Native Americans are taken advantage of and their cultures are constantly misrepresented. Natives deserve to not be misrepresented by mascots/sports teams, thought of by the government, and to be able to have happy youth that is proud of their culture.

The word “Indian” actually originated with Christopher Columbus, on accident! Columbus thought that he had landed in the East Indies, and called the people Indians and the term stuck. There are many different views on the American Indians. Often they are portrayed as fierce warriors always fighting. These stereotypes of big men with war paint and tomahawks are very broad, and some tribes were actually quite docile.

The belief that Natives needed to change was further revealed with the establishment of the Yakima Indian Reservation. This school was used as a tool to try and assimilate Indians into the mainstream American culture. This wasn’t the only one to open, by the 1880’s 10,000 Indian children were placed in boarding schools. This feeling of superiority was further made abundant when the US government created the Carlisle Indian School. A federally funded off-reservation boarding school, founded under the principle that reservation schools weren’t doing a sufficient enough job. Natives needed to be off the reservation and immerse themselves in white culture in hopes of these children being impactful members of society one day. Anglo Americans mistakenly believed that Native Americans wanted their help. That they were a vanishing race who’s only hope for survival was rapid cultural transformation. These boarding school wiped away the children’s identity. Everything they learned back home, they were taught to forget. Carlisle and other off reservation boarding school was an assault of Natives cultural identity. Everything these children brought with them was done away with. Their long hair was cut off. They were given new clothes and were not allowed to eat their traditional cooked foods. Their names were stripped away from them and they were given new white first and last names. It was also forbidden for the children to speak their language, instead they were taught English. This belief of superiority was also shown in discriminatory laws in Alaska. In the 1940’s, Alaska natives had difficulty finding homes and were refused entry to public facilities that served whites only. This led for the fight of an Anti-Discrimination Act that would eliminate these