Civil Rights - Native Americans Flashcards
What was Native American positions 1865-1992?(Overview)
- made little progression improving quality of life
- latter ages achieved bits in ‘self determination’
What were the Indian Plains?
- Area between Appalachian and Rocky Mountains
- Known as ‘Great Plains’
- Nomadic
Lifestyle of Native Americans
- Worshipped Nature
- Own tribal laws and Govt.
- Own languages
- Own Culture and Ceremonies
What did Native Americans want
- preserve their customs and laws
- wanted right to self determination
Threat to Native Americans
- threats due to Manifest Destiny
- Government wanted to assimilate them into whiter society
1830 Removal Act effect
-Moving tribes from Alabama, Florida to OKC
3 Threats to Native Americans
- White men on plains to discover Gold
- Hunting of Buffalo - led to them being dependent on food
- Building of railroads across plains
Result of the Threats to Native Americans
- Caused them to give up land
- Unable to resist advance of white settlers
The Plain Wars 1862-68 cause
- Government did not provide NA with food
- Violence broke out
- New troops deployed on plains had little interest in NA
4 Treaties which made Native Americans hand over land
- Fort Laramie 1851, 1868
- Fort Wise 1861
Homestead Act 1862
-Gave farmers 160-acre plot if farmed on for 5 years
Effect of the Homestead Act 1862 on NA?
-brought 20,000 settlers onto plains
How did Loss of Land effect Native Americans?
- they had given away land
- Buffalo nearly extinct due to hunting
- Not always Govt. support
Progress of Native American rights by 1865-1914
-This period involved Government trying to assimilate NA
How did assimilation take place during years 1865-1914
- Reservation Policy
- Education
- Conversion to Christianity
- Dawes Act (NA into Farmers)
What was the Reservation Policy?
- Forbidding Polygamy
- Forbidding Herbal remedies
- Abolishing tribal laws
- Ending communal living
- Ending Powers of Tribal chief
- Children sent to Boarding schools
Positive and Negative of Reservation Policy
+ Still kept together in a community
- Prevented NA moving freely and govt. enforced policies
What was the Dawes Severalty Act 1887?
- divided Reservations into allotments
- turned NA into Land Owners and Citizens (farmers)
negatives of Dawes Severalty Act 1887?
- Undermined NA tradition and beliefs
- Many NA unable to farm due to conditions
- Sold food to white people
- NA lost identity and Pride
- Dependent on Govt. food
What occurred to the Land given to NA by Govt. in Dawes S Act
-Taken away
Lone vs Hitchcock 1903
- Upheld rights of congress to revoke all treaties made with NA
- Take away more land
1914-45 Progress of Native Americans
- Over two WWs
- NAs granted citizenship
- Gains not want NA wanted
Indian Citizenship Act 1924
- Extended the right to vote
- Most didn’t want citizenship
- Also banned traditional dances
What did Govt. hope Indian Citizenship Act achieve
- Did not really care about Political rights of NA
- Wanted to speed up Assimilation
Meriam Report 1928
- Concluded that NA schools were underfunded and understaffed
- NA most impoverished people in the country
which Act in Roosevelt’s New Deal had massive effect on Native Americans?
-Wheeler Howard Act/Indian Reorganisation Act introduced in 1934
What was the Wheeler-Howard Act, 1934?
- Right to practise religion
- Right to undertake ceremonial dances
- Ability to prevent sale of their land to individuals
- Extension of Political Rights to women
Effect of Wheeler-Howard Act?
- Improved conditions on reservations
- Building of schools
- Encouraged women to take up education
- Ended Allotment Policy
1945-1969 Native American Progress?
-Post WW2 saw considerable worsening of NA due to policy of Termination
What was the Policy of Termination 1953?
- Speed up Assimilation
- Encouraged to move to cities
Effect of Policy of Termination 1953?
- difficult and unable to adapt
- Those moved to cities in worst conditions
- 50% returned to reservations
- NA unemployment rate 18%
- Life expectancy 44 years
How did NA try to make life better from Termination policy?
- Set up Ghettoes in cities
- Witnessed growth of civil rights
1969-1992 Native American Progress?
- NA able to regain some land
- education improved
Problems with Restoration of Land?
- Slow Process
- not all land restored
- Offered compensation
How was religion treated towards NA in latter decades?
- Religion restored
- Able to worship freely
- Thirty State Laws - protection of burial and remains
How was Society and Culture of NA in the latter decades?
- Negotiated with Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Aimed to take responsibility for health, education and social service provision
- Gained recognition from Govt. to live their culture
- Education and Funding cut
Self Determination after 1960s?
- More focused on this rather then assimilation
- Population of NA
- 800,000 in 1970
- 1.7Million in 1990
Reasons for federal Govt. hindering Progress of NA
- Belief in Manifest destiny and Encouragement settlement undermined Acts Homestead. Wanted Assimilation
- Allotment policy seen as improving position of NA but no impact on tradition
- Reservation policy led to Govt. controlling tribes
- Whenever had economic problems in country, reduced NA aid
Which Presidency had NA rights progressed the most?
- Roosevelt
- Johnson
- Ford
- Carter
- Nixon
Roosevelt effect on Native Americans?
-New Deal helped preserve NA culture
Johnson effect on Native Americans?
-Showed NA as ‘forgotten Americans’
Nixon effect on Native Americans?
- Built on Johnson’s ideas
- Improved Education - Indian Education Act 1972
- Some NA had self determination again
- Some lost land returned to tribes
Ford effect on Native Americans?
-Indian Self determination act, 1975
Carter effect on Native Americans?
- Native American Religious freedom Act, 1975
- Indian child Welfare act, 1978
What period saw greatest progress of NA?
-1970-78
Supreme Court attitudes on Native Americans, early years up to 1930s
- End of 19th Century = supported NA rights
- Start of 20th Century = revoke all treaties and lose land
Supreme Court attitudes on Native Americans, later years
- 1960 saw much advancement
- Due to Red Power movement
5 Cases to develop Supreme Court attitudes
- Oneida vs Madison counties, 1974
- Fisher vs Montana, 1976
- Sioux vs US, 1980
- Seminole vs Butterworth, 1982
- Charrier vs Bell, 1986
Oneida vs Madison counties, 1974
- Oneida tribe sued counties
- successful as land returned
Fisher vs Montana, 1976
-gave tribal courts right to decide on adoption
Sioux vs US, 1980
- Sioux tribe won compensation for loss of lands
- rejected it as wanted return of lands
Seminole vs Butterworth, 1982
-Seminole allowed to establish gambling premises on lands even though went against state law
Charrier vs Bell, 1986
-remains dug from burials belonged to NA, helped protect grounds
Effect of Native American Divisions?
- Lead to not united against Govt. - e.g. plain wars when tribes fought against each other
- Some tribes made treaties with Govt.
- NA spread out, lacked agreed aim
WW2 effect on Native Americans
- establishment of NCAI brought number of tribes together
- made aware of racism and discrimination
- Pressure on Govt. to improve rights
