How did campaigners protest for NA rights? Flashcards
What were the key events initiated by NAs?
-1976: Fisher vs. Montana
-1982: Seminole Tribe vs. Butterworth
-1986: Charrier vs. Bell
-Red Power
What rights had NAs achieved by 1920?
-citizenship and can pay taxes through the Dawes Act if they owned land for a certain amount of time but didn’t want this
-somewhat had rights to their culture
How influential were NAs in securing their own rights?
-they were influential in most of the Supreme Court judgements/arguments because they fought for what they wanted but the government didn’t overly understand their beliefs and wants
What were the 6 key groups for activism?
-Society of American Indians (SAI)
-American Indian Defense Association (AIDA)
-National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
-National Indian Youth Council NIYC
-American Indian Movement
-Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
What does the SAI stand for?
-Society of American Indians
When was the SAI?
-1911-1923
What was the aim of SAI?
-want to represent the views of NAs
What was the methods of SAI? (3)
-did this by lobbying
-they pursued supported tribes and individuals in applying to the US Court of Claims
-volunteers worked tirelessly to meet unrealistic expectations - to deliver a unified voice of Indian ‘public opinion’ and to pursue controversial political goals without appearing too radical
What was the impact of the SAI? (2)
-minimal impact due to lack of support from NAs
-the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act was seen as their most significant achievement
Why did the SAI end?
-ends due to lack of money and mass support from NAs
What was the result of the SAI being an American Indian Group that had been assimilated willingly?
-hard to represent the views of NAs
What does AIDA stand for?
-American Indian Defense Association
Who was AIDA set up by? When?
-1923
-set up by a group of writers and anthropologists (study humans) - very little NA input again
What was the aim of AIDA?
-to campaign for laws protecting the rights of Indians to their lands, their
beliefs, culture, traditions and their arts and crafts
What was AIDAs method?
-campaigning - report writing and raising awareness
What was the impact of AIDA? (3)
-John Collier, became executive secretary - his work led to pressure for the Meriam Report
-AIDA was successful in blocking the Leavitt Bill, which sought to curtail dance orders for Pueblo Indians
-Lacked mass support from Native Americans and didn’t consult on what they wanted
What does the NCAI stand for?
-National Congress of American Indians
What was the NCAI established in response to? When? 1944
-established in response to the termination and assimilation policies the US government as well as WWII
What was the aim of NCAI?
-It aimed to involve ordinary Native Americans in the struggle to stop reservations and integrate N.A into society so there were no longer funded by the taxpayer -> first time NAs had joined together to form a protest movement
What was the NCAI’s methods? (4)
-safety in numbers
-first time NAs had joined together to form a protest movement
-fought legal battles over discrimination and pressured the federal government for the Indian Claims Commission
-Obtained a pledge from JFK to develop human and natural resources of reservations but this was not fulfilled by his assassination->want to improve quality of reservations and making living conditions better not reinstate the traditional way of life even though it has been eroded
What was the impact of the NCAI? (3)
-most of the membership was successful, assimilated Indians who were felt to be out of touch with the younger generation
-mass support from Native Americans and established the legal methods to seek their rights
-limited impact
What does the NIYC stand for?
-National Indian Youth Council
Who was the NIYC established by? When?
-1961
-established by educated Native Americans who were in college or recently graduated -> in touch with what NAs want
What was the NIYC’s aim?
-aimed to protect Native American fishing rights in the north-west of the country -> cultural rights
What was the NIYC’s methods? (2)
-Took on lawsuits to protect treaty rights, voting rights and religious freedom
-Fish-ins were used to generate publicity and protect ancient rights - keen to avoid comparisons with civil rights->some success of fishing rights but slow progress
What was the NIYC’s impact? (4)
-some success of fishing rights but slow progress.
-a large group assembled in Washington, 1964 as part of LBJ’s ‘War on Poverty’
-filed lawsuits to protect Indian land from mineral exploitation
-helped to galvanise movement with focus on fishing rights and gained publicity
What does AIM stand for?
-American Indian Movement
What was AIM established in response to? When?
-1968
-established in response to the slow progress of other organisations
AIM was the most ____ NA organisation:
militant
What was AIM’s aim?
-took up issues of racial discrimination against Native American youths
What was AIM’s method?
-Native Americans patrolled the streets wearing red berets and jackets monitoring police activities->resulted in a decline in arrest/imprisonment of young offenders
What was the impact of AIM? (3)
-Gained national attention and publicity – which was crucial at a time when voting rights were limited NA= 1% of electorate
-some argue their militant methods were counterproductive and went against Native American principles->successful in gaining attention
-brought attention to the Native American cause and demonstrated unity amongst the youth
What does NARF stand for?
-Native American Rights Fund
Why was NARF founded? When?
-1970
-founded to defend the rights of Native Americans to preserve tribal culture and way of life in particular their right to hunt and fish
What was NARF’s aims? (2)
-wanted to reinstate tribal sovereignty, recover lost tribal lands, hunting, fishing and water rights->self determination is their goal
-it also fought for the right to vote in those states where registration was restricted and was concerned with the protection of human rights of Native Americans such as their right to worship freely and the proper burial of ancestral remains
What was NARF’s methods? (2)
-NARF trained young Native Americans as attorneys with a specialism in pursuing Native-American legal issues
-NARF was the main organisation that pressed Supreme Court cases on behalf of the tribes and secured key decisions->all judgements post-1974
What was the impact of NARF? (2)
-Reasserting their rights under treaties that were long forgotten, a number of the tribes did regain at least some of their lost land e.g. 1971 Alaska, 40 million acres
-greater sympathy in this era
When was the action decade?
1970s
What does lobbying mean?
-to seek influence on an issue through action eg campaigning
Name the person who was
appointed Commissioner for Indian Affairs, and seen as influential for the passing of the 1934 Wheeler-Howard Act?
-John Collier
Did the Meriam Report of 1928 condemn or condone the allotment policy?
-condemn->led to a reform package being put together focusing on education and health care
What was the policy of Termination?
-Policy to end reliance on federal government and isolated allotments, by encouraging move to urban areas and integration within white American way of life
What was the Indian Claims Commission?
-1946-78 -> put in place to recognise the achievements of the NA war veterans -> this appeared to provide an opportunity to claim land that had been lost by treaties in the 19th century, reality was often financial compensation instead
What does ‘tribal sovereignty’ mean?
-tribal authority to govern themselves/self determination
Why was it important to educate Native Americans in the law, such as training attorneys?
-so they could defend themselves successfully and regain rights
