1945 - 1969 Flashcards
When was the termination policy and what was it?
- introduced in 1953
- aimed to end the special legal status of Native American tribes, dissolve reservations and assimilate NA into society
How many tribes were terminated from 1953 and 1964?
109 tribes were terminated and lost federal recognition
How did termination affect Native sovereignty
- Termination removed federal protection and tribal sovereignty
- tribes were placed under state laws and jurisdiction often without consent
When was the Indian Relocation act and what did it do?
- 1956
- encouraged Native Americans to move from reservations to urban areas by offering job training and housing assistance
How many Native Americans relocated under the Indian Relocation Act by 1965?
35,000
how did relocation undermine Native political rights
- divided tribal communities
- made organising politically more difficult
- exposed Native Americans to racial discriminations without support
When was the National Congress of American Indians founded and what role did it play?
- founded in 1944
- became a key national voice for Native rights, opposing termination and advocating for tribal sovereignty in Washington
What were the social consequences of the Relocation Program?
- Many NA faced poor housing, low-paying jobs and discrimination in urban areas
- lead to poverty and loss of cultural identity
How did Native Americans experience healthcare in the post-war period?
- Healthcare services remained underfunded and inadequate
- In 1955, the Indian Health Service was created to provide care but disparities persisted
What was Native education like during the 1950s and 60s
- Many Natives children still attended underfunded schools with high dropout rates
- curricula focused on assimilation and ignored Native culture and history
How did Native Americans begin to revive cultural practices during this period?
- despite federal assimilation policies, Native communities increasingly revived traditional ceremonies, languages, tribal governance systems
- often underground
What economic impact did Termination have on Native Communities?
- termination led to the loss of federal support, land and economic aid
- plunged many tribes into deeper poverty
- some tribes were forced to sell land to pay debts
What were the employment outcomes for Native Americans under the relocation act?
- many relocated Natives were placed in temporary jobs with limited opportunities for advancement
- the training that was promised was often inadequate
How did Native American poverty compare to the national average by the 1960s?
- Natives experience some of the highest poverty rates
- often over 40% compared to the national average of 15% by the mid-1960s
How did Native Americans resist the Termination policy?
- Tribes like the Menominee and Klamath protestsed and legal challenges
- Native leaders lobbied Congress to reverse or halt termination
What was the significance of the National Congress of American Indian’s resistance to Termination
- united tribal representatives to challenge federal policies
- successfully bringing Congress to review and eventually end Termination in the late 1960s
How did young Native Americans begin to resist federal policy by the late 1960s?
- inspired by the Civil Rights and Black Power movement, Native youth organised protests, sit-ins and direct action
- laid the groundwork for Red Power
Why was the founding of the National Congress of American Indians in 1944 a turning point
- first major tribal political organisation dedicated to defending sovereignty, reversing federal policies and promoting Native rights in US politics
What happened in the 1961 American Indian Chicago Conference?
- Over 400 Native delegates gathered to draft the ‘Declaration of Indian Purpose’ calling for self-determination and an end to assimilation
- influence Kennedy and later Johnson’s shift away from Termination
What was President Johnson’s ‘Special Message on Indian Affairs’ and when was it?
- called for a new era of ‘self-help’ and support for Native communities
- showed a federal retreat from termination and a greater respect for tribal sovereignty
When and why was the American Indian Movement founded?
- founded in 1968 Minneapolis to protest police brutality
- quickly expanded to advocate for Native sovereignty, land rights and the fulfilment of treaties
