Native American Social Structure

As children we were taught the rhyme;’ ‘In fourteen hundred ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue.’ This was where the history books say the United States began; with Columbus’ fateful voyage across the blue ocean to discover a new land. Although Columbus is credited for ‘discovering America’, when Columbus arrived people already inhabited this new world. People with traditions, beliefs, and cultures unique to their individual tribes. Columbus can be credited with beginning of the fall of Native Americans in the social structure of American society. When Columbus first came in contact with native people, he felt “they could easily be commanded and made to work, to sow and to do whatever might be needed, to build towns and be taught…show more content…
Native Americans have been disadvantaged by the social structure of American society in many different ways, these disadvantages can be grouped in timeframes beginning with the Reservation life of the 1800s – 1930s, into Reorganization 1930’s and 1940s, then the Termination and Relocation of the 1940s through the 1960’s, ending currently with Self…show more content…
Although improvements are being made, they are being made much to slowly in respect to the health, traditions, and cultures of Native Americans. It is time for the American society to understand the disadvantages our social structure creates by competition and dominance. Making changes to create equality in our society will help to alleviate the disadvantages our social structure creates for Native Americans.

Works Cited

Edles, Laura Desfor. Cultural Sociology in practice. Cambridge: Wiley-Blackwell, 2002.
Healey, Joseph F. Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2010.
Lyman, Stanford M. Militarism, imperialism, and Racial Accommodation. Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press, 1993.
Smith, Phillip. The New American Cultural Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Taylor, Colin and William Sturtevant. The Native Americans: The Indigenous People of North America. San Diego: Salamander Books, 1991.
Wallace, Anthony F. C. The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians. New York: Hill and Wang, 1993.
Willingham, Wilson. Civilizations. Arkansas: University of Akansas Press, 1987.
Willis, George. Bureau of Indian Affairs; The Beginning. Los Angeles: Macmilliam,