From these two videos, I have a better understand of American Indian history overview. Especially from video Pride 101, Dr. Duane Champagne mentions the removal policy of Native Indians, and because of the policy, the tribes have to move from Southeast to Oklahoma. These two videos show audiences a long history and policy about American Indians and how struggled they had been through in a native land. After I finished from these two videos, I can see many parallels between the struggles the Native American Tribes and my people encounter dealing with the U.S. Government “You can never be part of Indian. You are or you are not.
The first form of legislation only allowed “federally or state recognized” tribes or individuals to sell artifacts and label them “‘Indian made’” (King, 40). Problem is that there are tribes and individuals that can trace their lineages but are still not recognized by either governments. Bill C-31 requires you to marry federally recognized Native Americans or risk your family losing that status down your linage and threatens to eliminate all federally recognized Native Americans “in fifty to seventy-five years” in Canada (King, 144). The horror behind the Bill C-31 is that the
Those that chose to stay could keep their homes and their gardens, but would have to obey state laws and adapt to white culture and customs (Wallace 65). In February of1830, a removal bill had been passed authorizing the President to set aside Indian territory west of the Mississippi river, exchange districts for lands, grant tribes absolute ownership of their homes forever, engage in treaties with the tribes for the rearrangement of boundaries, and to ensure that any property left behind would be appraised and the Indians would be properly compensated. The act also provided aid and assistance to tribes who chose to emigrate and protection from hostile Indians and intruders (Wallace 66). In October 1829, before the Removal Act had actually been passed, Jackson urged the Indians to emigrate. The chiefs’ powers were weakened; annuities were terminated and divided among the Indians, and not distributed until they reached the West (Wallace 74).
Feryl Cutkomp Hist 331 Dr. Warren 02/19/14 Native American Influence on the Constitution Native Americans are looked over quite a bit in Revolutionary times in America. They are seen as very insignificant until the beginning of the nineteenth century, but some historians believe that they may have had a large amount of influence on the drafting of the United States Constitution. The Iroquois, to be specific, are the group of Native Americans that most historians like to look at for this proposal. They argue that the Iroquois had been practicing the very same ideals that are present in the Constitution for years before it had been written. The Iroquois had a type of government set up that is most commonly referred to as the Iroquois League.
Western settlers destroyed traditional Native American ways of life by moving into their traditional homeland. As western settlers moved on to the land that was first owned by native Americans, the Natives were forced to move into reservations. Reservations were fenced in and one could not walk freely outside the borders. The Homestead Act of 1862 stated that160 acres of land was given to any settler who was an American citizen or who had applied for citizenship, who was committed to farming the land for six months of the year, and had to build a dwelling and raise crops. This land that the government was giving away was traditional homeland to the Native Americans.
The Removal Act stated that the United States Government had the right to forcefully move the Native Americans to different lands as long as they compensated them for the land that they had to give up in the east. The US Government did not give the Native Americans any say regarding their move. Once the Removal Act signed into place they had to follow it. The move negatively impacted on the tribes’ health, their population and their way of living. Out of about 15,000 Cherokee that were forcefully moved to the West, about 4,000 died on the road there.
The colonial population was divided by ethnicity, religion, class, and status. The revolution created a new nation and a new collective body. The collective body was the American people whose members were to enjoy their freedom as citizens. The Constitution of the United States start with, “We the People,’ and describes the people who are entitled to the, “the Blessings of Liberty,” as a birthright and pass them on to “Posterity.” But not everyone who lived in the United States was included. The Constitution identifies three people who get this right: Indians, treated as members of independent tribes and not part of the American body politic; “other persons” that is, slaves; and the “people”.
The Trial of Leonard Peltier Author’s name Institution affiliation The Trial of Leonard Peltier Introduction Leonard Peltier was a Chippewa-Lakota activist and also a significant leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). His description by fellow activist John Trudell was “this generation’s Geronimo, this generation’s Crazy Horse” (Messerschmidt, 1999). They opposed the government in their plans to acquire Indian land. In the late ‘60s, Peltier joined a national movement of Indians fighting to recover their culture and reclaim rights bestowed to them by treaties signed over a century gone. In the 1970’s Peltier travelled to the Midwest and there he met Russell Means, Dennis Banks and other people who had formed the American Indian Movement in 1968, Minneapolis.
In European religion they believed in Christianity and in only one god who was responsible for everything. European’s viewed the religions of both Native American and Africans as savage and crud. They disregarded their beliefs and believed that their religion was the only right one and anyone else who believed in anything else was wrong. The Naive Americans and Africans didn’t understand why the Europeans were doing what they were doing and why they were so disrespectful to their gods and religion. With Native Americans and Western Africans land ownership was won through wars or chosen in the belief that their gods had given them the land that they were living on.
Within the following paper I will portray the story of these two documents and discuss the effect it has on America today. The history of this story begins with years of hostility over who would rightfully claim North America. France, Spain and Britain all expressed their interest in calling this land their own. After many years of war a treaty was reached ultimately awarding Britain the land east of the Mississippi. For over fifty years England faced hostilities around the world and now it finally found it self at peace.