How significant was the Red Power Movement? Flashcards
What was Red Power in response to?
-in response to the emerging, militant ‘black power’ the term ‘red power’ came into the vocabulary. This was largely the result of frustration at the slow progress of implementing federal reforms
What is Red Power about?
-Young militants demanded, amongst other things, that the Indians be known as ‘Native Americans’, as they engaged in a number of high profile activities to attract media coverage
What does Red Power do? (3)
-Protest through media e.g. the song ‘as long as the grass shall grow’ recorded in 1968 by Peter Law Farge, protesting at the abuse of NA by white people
Fish-ins
-Militancy eg American Indian Movement (AIM) challenging racial discrimination
-Pursuit of ‘native sovereignty’ via the Supreme Court
How significant was Red Power?
-very significant - all of the events of the 1970s is caused by the activism
-there is a distinct shift in NA rights
What were the key events of Red Power activism? (5)
-Siege of Alcatraz, 1969
-Occupation of Mount Rushmore, 1971
-Takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs , Washington, 1972
-Occupation of Wounded Knee, 1973
-Pine Ridge Reservation, 1975
What was the Siege of Alcatraz? When?
-1969-1971
-an occupation to reclaim lost land resulting in mass media attention
Who was involved in the Siege of Alcatraz? (2)
-14 Indian men and women from all tribes. Led by Richard Oakes (young, charismatic member of the Mohawk tribe.
-around 10,000 NA visited the island across the course of the campaign
What methods did they use in the siege of Alcatraz? (3)
-Occupied the deserted and former prison island of Alcatraz
-this had previously belonged to the Ohlone Indians - the island was deserted so the NA wanted its return. Invaders offered the government $24 in beads and cloth (the price that had been paid to the Indians for the island of Manhattan)
-government refused - occupation continued
What were the outcomes of the siege of Alcatraz? (5)
-Gained mass media attention, raising awareness of the plight of NA
-Alcatraz was synonymous with a most harsh and brutal prison regime and was chosen to symbolise the life of imprisonment and poverty on reservations as a result of federal policies and neglect
-police and militia attempted to end the occupation - increased the media attention also
-accelerated militant action to assert claims to Indian land, under the leadership of AIM
-it promoted a reappraisal of government policy of health, education, economic developments
When was the occupation of mount Rushmore?
1971
Who was involved in the occupation of mount Rushmore?
-Lakota Sioux Indians rights campaigned over by AIM protestors
What methods did they use in the occupation of mount Rushmore? (2)
-Located in the Black Hills of Dakota (a very spiritual site for NA), an attempt to reassert the disputed ownership of these sacred burial site
-AIM protestors established a camp in the area now designated as a national memorial (see below) and renamed it Mount Crazy Horse
What were the outcomes of the occupation of mount Rushmore? (2)
-Protestors were evicted, but subsequent native groups laid claim to the Black Hills by setting up camps there
-ownership of this territory is still disputed
When was the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs? Where?
-1972
-Washington
Who was involved in the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
-1,000 AIM protestors
What methods did they use on the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs? (4)
-An outcome of the Alcatraz siege, a ‘caravan’ (fleet of cars, buses and vans) travelled from San Francisco to Washington DC (Followed the journey of the Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan during the ‘Trail of Tears’.)
-It was done to raise awareness of the plight of NA as a result of their unjust treatment, the leaders drew up 20 points that needed to be addressed
-when protestors arrived they found themselves without accommodation, so occupied the offices of the BIA → the originally peaceful protest became violent.
-They refused to leave the building
What were the outcomes of the takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs? (3)
-Attempts were made to evict the protestors from the building
-the occupation ended the day after Nixon won a landslide victory and after Garment arranged for $66,000 in cash to help the Native Americans with travel expenses
-Government officials accused the group of causing thousands of dollars in damage — a charge many of the Native Americans denied. As part of the agreement, the government said it wouldn’t prosecute the Native Americans who had occupied the federal building
When was the occupation of Wounded Knee?
1973
Why was the occupation of Wounded Knee’s location significant?
-South Dakota - sight of 1890 massacre of Sioux tribe
Who was involved in the occupation of Wounded Knee?
-Organised by AIM, but also involved federal marshals, FBI agents and military personnel
What was the purpose of the occupation of Wounded Knee?
-to raise awareness of past injustices, of broken promises and treaties.
What methods did they use in the occupation of Wounded Knee in response to what? (2)
-A violent occupation of the hamlet of Wounded knee which lasted for 71 days
-in response to allegations of the suspected financial dealings of the president of the Reservation and his maltreatment of its Indian inhabitants
How long was the occupation of Wounded Knee?
71 days
What were the outcomes of the occupation of Wounded Knee? (2)
-Ended with a negotiated settlement, 2 of the leaders were arrested and charged with offences committed at Wounded Knee - but were later acquitted
-gained mass media coverage
When was the Pine Ridge reservation?
-1975
Who was involved in the Pine Ridge Reservation and who was it closely monitored by?
-AIM
-FBI agents - who closely monitored AIM during this period
What methods did they use in the Pine Ridge Reservation? (4)
-Special Agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler, driving separate unmarked vehicles, began following a car on the Pine Ridge Reservation
-they were allegedly attempting to serve a warrant on a Native man named Jimmy Eagle for robbery and believed him to be in the vehicle
-both agents became involved in a shooting at the Jumping Bull ranch and were killed. 2 FBI agents and 1 protestor were shot and killed
-a member of AIM was found guilty of their murder and imprisoned for life
What were the outcomes of the Pine Ridge reservation? (2)
-violence led to a slow response to the implementation of reforming legislation in the early 1970s as the federal authorities interpreted the actions of AIM as subversive and dangerous
-many Native American themselves did not believe that AIM represented their best interests and that the violent methods were not in keeping with NA way of life and beliefs
