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American Civil Rights > Native Americans > Flashcards

Native Americans Flashcards

1
Q

What were the Great Plains?

A

The place where Native Americans lived (ended up being the only place Native Americans controlled)

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2
Q

How did Native Americans view the Earth?

A
  • Earth = first mother, human mothers were seen as only temporary
  • Treat the earth kindly and it would reciprocate
  • Nature was something to live alongside with, not exploit (similar to modern environmentalists)
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3
Q

What were the 3 ways in which Native Americans depended on buffalo and bison?

A
  1. They ate them
  2. Made bows from their bones and wood, covered in intestines to make them waterproof
  3. Made teepees from skin
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4
Q

How many members made up a tribe?

A

Between 100 - 500

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5
Q

What was the hierarchy within a tribe?

A
  • Every tribe had a male chief
  • All decisions made as a collective
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6
Q

What happened during the Plains Wars?

A
  • White settlers (Easterners) got into a battle on the Great Plains with Native Americans (lost to Native Americans, remembered them as savages)
  • US government told soldiers to go after the Native Americans’ main food supply (buffalo)
  • Destroyed Native Americans’ main way of life - in 1865, there were 60 million buffalo and in 1910, there was only 85 (gave tourists on railways rifles to kill buffalo)
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7
Q

Why did white settlers believe they came to a wilderness?

A

Native Americans weren’t using farms the way they did (had their own way of doing things), and so brought European methods e.g. fences

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8
Q

Why were Easterners moving further into Native American territory by the 1850s?

A

To either mine or hunt buffalo

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9
Q

What were the 3 reasons for the cattle business boom in the 1860s?

A
  1. Large number of cheap, unwanted cattle brought up in the South
  2. Expanding Northern cities - led to cattle markets
  3. Railroads reached the Plains
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10
Q

What were popping up more and more by the 1870s on the Plains?

A

By the 1870s, cattle ranches were popping up more and more on the Plains - 20 cowboys for one ranch made up of Black and Mexican cowboys

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11
Q

What happened to the grass on the Plains and how did this affect the cattle?

A

Grass on the Plains became overgrazed and bad winters’ blizzards killed many cattle - land in the East was overcrowded and expensive

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12
Q

What was the result of the Homestead Act 1862?

A

Gave male Homesteaders 160 acres of land (not enough for families to live on)

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13
Q

What was the result of the Timber Culture Act 1873?

A

Gave another 160 acres if ¼ of their original was filled was trees, as well as equipment to build wells

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14
Q

What stopped westward expansion in 1934?

A

US government set up a Native American frontier

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15
Q

Define manifest destiny and how it was shown by the federal government

A
  • Common accepted attitude of the time that the US had the “God given” right to move to the west because the Native Americans were “savages” and they had to adapt to the US way of life
  • Manifest Destiny is shown by the federal government giving grants to railway companies to move westwards
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16
Q

Who won the Battle for the Plains?

A

Native Americans

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17
Q

What was the result of the Treaty of Fort Laramie 1851?

A

Established renovations (big pieces of land that Native Americans were allowed to stay on)

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18
Q

What was the result of the Medicine Lodge Creek Treaty?

A

The treaty granted 2.24 million acres of land to the United States in exchange for establishment of three reservations, cash payments over a period of twenty years, and recognition of traditional native fishing and hunting rights.

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19
Q

What was the result of the 1868 New Fort Laramie Treaty?

A

Made it clear that Native Americans had access to the Black Hills of South Dakota (were sacred to Native Americans because of the environment)

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20
Q

What led to the Gold Rush?

A

White prospectors found gold in the Black Hills

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21
Q

What did Sitting Bull prophecise?

A

That his people would defeat the white people

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22
Q

What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn of 1876?

A

Every white soldier was killed by the Sioux and Cheyenne (who had left the reservation area), including General Custer

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23
Q

What happened at the Battle of Wounded Knee of 1890?

A

White soldiers opened fire on unarmed Sioux in 1890 - over 300 men, women and children of the Sioux were killed at Wounded Knee

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24
Q

What was the population of Native Americans before and after Wounded Knee?

A

5 million → 250,000 Native Americans (this was not just because of Wounded Knee)

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25
Q

What was the white population from before settling in America to after Wounded Knee?

A

0 → 75 million

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26
Q

What were the 5 main consequences of the Dawes Act 1887?

A
  1. 160 acres of farmland to Native Americans
  2. Meant to assimilate Native Americans into American society (turn them from “savages” into farmers)
  3. Surplus land went to the white population
  4. Broke up the tribal structure of Native Americans - went from a collective group to individual landowners
  5. Alice Fletcher and Jane Gay led the “Friends of the Indians” group - came to save the Native Americans from themselves and make them Homesteaders
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27
Q

What was the Dawes Act allegedly meant to be for Native Americans?

A

Magna Carta

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28
Q

Did the Native Americans want their land being split up by Alice Fletcher and Jane Gay?

A
  • Native Americans did not want their land split up and allocated to each person - wanted to decide whether they wanted the Dawes Act
  • Alice Fletcher and Jane Gay said they had to obey the law and that the Native Americans had no choice but to accept
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29
Q

How did Alice Fletcher try to divide the Native American land?

A

Fletcher tried to divide the Native American land equally for four years, while also fending off white people who wanted the best land for themselves

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30
Q

How many white people were in the reservations compared to Native Americans by 1910?

A

30 million white people in the reservations and only 1500 Native Americans

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31
Q

What happened to the 500,000 acres of surplus land that was not allocated to Native Americans?

A

It was considered surplus and given to white Homesteaders

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32
Q

What happened to Native Americans in 1924?

A

Native Americans were granted citizenship but they had no interest in becoming American citizens

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33
Q

Define assimilation (1871 - 1969)

A
  • An attempt to destroy Native American culture and traditions
  • Shown by photos of Native Americans in their tribal clothing and photos of the same people with cut hair in a western style with western clothing. Tribal way of life was at odds with the American way of life so it had to be changed
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34
Q

What did the Reservation Policy (1871 - 1887) of assimilation aim to do?

A

Stop Nomadic life and to separate the Native people from the buffalo

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35
Q

What were the 3 advantages of the Reservation Policy (1871 - 1887) of assimilation for the US government?

A
  1. Easier to control people because they had to be within the boundaries of a reservation
  2. Easier to educate and remove their tribal customs
  3. American government said that the Native American were wards of the state (wards meaning children who had to be looked after by the state)
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36
Q

How was the Battle of Little Bighorn a turning point of the Reservation Policy (1871 - 1887) of assimilation?

A
  • Happened because there were some groups of the Sioux who resisted the reservations policy
  • Led to General Custer having to lead them back to the reservations, which in turn led to the massacre of Custer and his men
  • Government then wanted revenge
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37
Q

What was the Allotment Policy (1887 - 1934) of assimilation?

A
  • Reservation land was divided into smaller allotments
  • 160 acres of land were allocated to each family prior to the Oklahoma Land Rush
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38
Q

What was the reason to show that the Allotment Policy (1887 - 1934) of assimilation represented progress?

A
  • It was done with the best intentions (Alice Fletcher)
  • Helped improve conditions for Native Americans
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39
Q

What were the 4 reasons to show that the Allotment Policy (1887 - 1934) of assimilation did not represent progress?

A
  1. Total opposite to what Native Americans wanted
  2. No increase in civil rights
  3. No appreciation for the tribal nature of the Native people
  4. Clear that the government did not understand the needs of the Native people
40
Q

What was the Termination Policy (1953 - 1969) of assimilation?

A

Native Americans were moved off the reservation land and taken the cities

41
Q

Why did the Termination Policy of assimilation start in 1953?

A
  • The Cold War era tries to promote that America is running a fair, just society where everyone is treated equally
  • The government was under pressure from mining and forestry companies who wanted new areas of land and the government thought that the best way of doing that was to terminate Native Americans by moving them to the cities
42
Q

Why did the US government provide nothing for Native Americans in terms of support before 1865?

A
  • Lack of interest
  • During the Civil War, funding was so stretched that they couldn’t provide anything anyway
43
Q

What did the US government do to the Sioux in the late 1880s as a result of economic decline?

A

Stopped any meat subsidies given to the Sioux

44
Q

Why were all gains made during the New Deal for Native Americans reversed during WW2?

A

All money was going into the war effort

45
Q

What did the US government do to Japanese-Americans at the end of WW2?

A

The US government decided they would put Japanese Americans into reservations because they were previously put into camps and were shunned by American society, so they were put into reservations

46
Q

Define Ronald Reagan’s attitude of Native Capitalism

A

Native Americans had to become businessmen and women and work their way up

47
Q

Why did Ronald Reagan have an attitude of Native Capitalism?

A
  • He had a social conscience but not enough to increase welfare
  • Wanted the lower ends of society to work their way up and not give them handouts
48
Q

What were the 2 periods of time that showed that the US government appeared to advance progress for civil rights for Native Americans?

A
  1. The Roosevelt era of the New Deal
  2. The presidencies of Nixon and Ford
49
Q

What was the Wheeler-Howard Act 1934 as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal?

A
  • Tried to preserve Native American rights and culture
  • DID NOT END ASSIMILATION - tried to show Native Americans the positives of assimilation and allow them to manage the reservations themselves
50
Q

What did John Collier do as Commissioner of Native American Affairs in the US government to help Native Americans?

A
  • He helped to pass the Wheeler Howard Act
  • Removed all Christian missionaries from the reservations as he really how offensive and disrespectful it was
51
Q

What was the influence of Lyndon Johnson on the presidencies of Nixon and Ford in terms of helping Native Americans?

A

Johnson didn’t have time to do anything to help them but said that Native Americans were the “forgotten people” and something needed to be done

52
Q

What was Nixon’s message in 1970 to Congress about Native Americans?

A
  • Made it clear that the federal government had treated Native American people badly for too long
  • That message became really clear to everyone in America and signalled to Native Americans that he would change things for the better
53
Q

What were the 4 elements of Nixon’s reform programme for Native Americans?

A
  1. Education: more money and funding
  2. Courts: easier access to the legal system
  3. Land: promises to return land to Native Americans (progress was incredibly slow)
  4. Commisioner for Indian Affairs: gave the job to Lewis R. Bruce Jr - he was a Native American (major positive)
54
Q

What was the Indian Self-Determination Act 1975 (President Ford)?

A
  • Moved away from assimilation
  • Made it easier for Native Americans to get education, healthcare and social service provisions
55
Q

What was the Indian Education Assistance Act 1975 (President Ford)?

A

Gave Native American parents a greater say in what their children learn about in school, e.g. could insist on Native American history being taught to their children

56
Q

What was the Native American Religious Freedom Act 1978 (President Carter)?

A

Native Americans had the right to follow whatever religion they wanted and could use their traditional religious objects, rituals and herbal remedies

57
Q

What was the Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 (President Carter)?

A

Tried to regulate the removal of Native American children from reservations under false accusations of child neglect from white missionaries

58
Q

What was the general situation for Native Americans by 1992?

A
  • Assimilation had ended and self-determination had started to be encouraged
  • Didn’t give Native Americans everything they wanted but turned the clock back slightly
59
Q

What was the result of the Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock 1903 case?

A

Gave the right to cancel any treaty that helped Native Americans

60
Q

What was the relationship between the Supreme Court and Native Americans by the end of the period?

A

The Supreme Court was much more active in upholding the policies of the federal government which supported the Native Americans and played a crucial role in the return of many of their former lands

61
Q

What did the Cherokees do in 1902 that led to Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock in 1903?

A

Challenged Congress’ right to deny them their right to live in their own lands

62
Q

In what ways did the Supreme Court treat Native Americans and African Americans the same after 1924, especially in the South?

A
  • Given the right of citizenship and the right to vote
  • When they tried to exercise these rights, the Supreme Court stopped it and would back the government, just like they did with African Americans
63
Q

What inspired the Red Power Movement?

A
  • Small victories due to whole civil rights movement
  • Black Power inspired Red Power
64
Q

What was set up in 1970 by President Nixon for Native Americans and what did it do?

A
  • Native American Rights Fund set up in 1970
  • Ran in a similar way to NAACP (trained lawyers to deal with Native American cases)
65
Q

What was the result of the 1974 Oneida vs Oneida case?

A
  • Supreme Court ruled in favour of Oneida tribe
  • Allowed them to have their land returned to them
  • SET A PRECEDENT
66
Q

What was the result of the 1976 Fisher vs Montana case?

A
  • Allowed tribal courts within reservations to decide who should adopt children
  • Before this, Native American children had been forcibly removed from their families
  • This also made a move towards recognising tribal courts
67
Q

What was the result of the 1980 US vs Sioux Nation case?

A
  • Supreme Court said a lot of land, including the Black Hills, should be returned to the Sioux tribe but couldn’t because the land had been used for other things, so the Sioux would have to be compensated, including interest spanning 100 years = $106 million
  • Sioux tribe refused to accept it because they wanted the land not the money (money was useless to them)
68
Q

What was the result of the 1982 Seminole tribe vs Butterworth case?

A

Supreme Court said to the states if they had a law saying no gambling on a piece of land that was originally Native American land, they had to cancel that law because it applied to Native Americans

69
Q

What was the result of the 1986 Charrier vs Bell case?

A

States must have laws to protect Native American burial grounds (e.g. couldn’t build houses on that land)

70
Q

What were the 4 aims of the Native Americans?

A
  1. Continue to live according to tribal customs and laws
  2. Self-determination
  3. Independence
  4. Stay on their own lands
71
Q

What were the 3 aims of the US government?

A
  1. Assimilation
  2. Destroy the tribal customs and culture
  3. No nation within a nation
72
Q

What were the 4 main aspects of the Native Americans’ lives before the US government got involved?

A
  • Nomadic
  • Follow the buffalo and bison
  • Worshipped nature and had own languages and customs and ceremonies (some ceremonies involved herbal remedies)
  • Tribal laws and government
73
Q

Were Native Americans homogenous?

A
  • No - 86 individual tribes, some cooperated with the US government, some showed constant hostility
  • Not only did some fight against the government and each other, but there were occasions when some tribes aided the government against other tribes
74
Q

Define westward expansion

A

Encouraging settlers to move west

75
Q

What was the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans?

A

Native Americans were driven out of their lands - led to the Plains Wars (1860s and 1870s)

76
Q

What happened at the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre?

A
  • US cavalry, led by Colonel Chivington attacked Cheyenne tribe
  • Troops drove tribe out of their camp
  • Marked a turning point in the relationship between Native Americans and the US government
77
Q

What promise was made to Native Americans during the Civil War that was not kept?

A

Natives were promised that they would be fed if their land turned into a battlefield during the Civil War - THIS PROMISE WAS NOT KEPT

78
Q

What drove the Plains Wars for Native Americans?

A

Driven by hunger as a result of the broken promise of being fed

79
Q

What impact did the railways have on Native Americans?

A
  • Railway companies wanted to establish themselves across the west
  • Buffalo tourism was encouraged by railway companies (killing buffalo) as buffalo herds were getting in the way of railway infrastructure
80
Q

What were the 9 methods of assimilation before World War 1?

A
  1. Education
  2. Conversion to Christianity
  3. Turning Native Americans into farmers (Dawes Act)
  4. Reservation system
  5. Polygamy was banned
  6. Braves (young Native American warrior) could not demonstrate their skills anymore
  7. “Herbal remedies” were forbidden
  8. Communal living was banned
  9. Tribal languages were banned
81
Q

How was life on the reservations for Native Americans?

A
  • Wasn’t easy because there was not the same freedom
  • Land was unsuitable for certain types of farming, so had to depend on the government giving them food in the form of food parcels
82
Q

What were the 4 main issues of living on the reservations for Native Americans?

A
  1. Parcels didn’t always turn up, which led to starvation
  2. Dependance on the government was humiliating for the Native Americans
  3. Serious outbreaks of measles on the reservations
  4. Whiskey was one of the things in the food parcel (Natives called it firewater because it burned their throats when they drank it) - became addicted to whiskey (never tried alcohol before)
83
Q

Most tribes rejected assimilation. What was the one tribe that tried to adapt to the US way of life?

A

The Navajo tribe

84
Q

What, according to the US government, were the 5 “civilised” tribes?

A
  1. Cherokee
  2. Chickasaw
  3. Choctaw
  4. Creek
  5. Seminole
85
Q

Why were the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribes considered “civilised”?

A

Tended to follow instructions, so got privileges and were treated better by the US government

86
Q

For almost 20 years, the 5 “civilised” tribes were exempt from the Dawes Act. When did this change, and what were the consequences?

A

When the Curtis Act was passed, so tried to form a new American state from their land - Sequoyah, but this didn’t happen

87
Q

What was the result of the 1902 Cherokee Nation vs Hitchcock case?

A

Cherokees challenged Congress to deny their rights to live where they wanted, but lost

88
Q

What was the situation by 1914 for Native Americans?

A

There had been change, but the position of Native Americans was worse than in 1865

89
Q

How was the position of Native Americans worse by 1914 than it had been in 1865? (5 reasons)

A
  1. Land had been taken away
  2. Treaties had all been cancelled
  3. No right to negotiate
  4. Allotment systems destroyed their sense of identity
  5. Little pride and self-respect remained
90
Q

What happened to Native Americans in 1924, regarding citizenship?

A
  • In 1924, they were given citizenship as part of the next stage of assimilation, so they had the same rights as the other Americans (change of opinion from Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock)
  • Haven’t got back anything they actually wanted (e.g. their freedom)
91
Q

What was the Dance Order?

A

Banned Native Americans’ traditional dances - seen as witchcraft

92
Q

Why was the Indian Reorganisation Act 1934 (Wheeler Howard) seen as the first move to preserve Native American culture?

A
  • Gave Native Americans the right to help run the reservations
  • Can practice their own religions
  • Dances are brought back
  • Encouraged political rights for Native American women
  • Schools and hospitals were built on the reservations - funding didn’t last because the funds were transferred to the war effort during WW2
  • Women were encouraged into higher education
93
Q

What was one positive and one negative of the Indian Reorganisation Act 1934?

A
  • Dawes Act and Allotment Policy ended
  • BUT, assimilation does not end, and would instead be achieved through the benefits of the New Deal
94
Q

What were the issues of urban migration as part of termination?

A
  • Traumatic for Native Americans
  • Poor accommodation, poorly paid jobs or no jobs at all
  • Low Literacy rates - difficult to do jobs where literacy was required
  • Had to learn how to speak English
  • Many older Native Americans went back to the reservations and lived there in deteriorating conditions
  • 18% were unemployed amongst Natives (almost 1 in 5)
  • Life expectancy for Native Americans in the cities was 44 (had low immunity and high alcoholism issues) - 20 years below the white Americans
  • 15% returned to reservations - so urban migration failed
  • Native American ghettos were created in the cities
95
Q

What was the position of Native Americans by 1992?

A
  • Some return of land to Native Americans - compensation was given rather than the land in some cases - Native Americans refused the compensation
  • Better education and healthcare for Native Americans - a move towards self-sufficiency BUT education levels still low in comparison to white Americans
  • 30 states passed laws which protected Native American burial grounds
  • Assimilation ended and the process towards self-determination began

American Civil Rights (4 decks)

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