Native Americans 1945-69 Flashcards
How much had migration to urban cities like New York and Chicago increased in the war?
4x
What happened to workers returning home to reservations after the war?
They found the reservations impoverished due to a collapse in New Deal funding.
What happened to urban factory workers after the war?
They were no longer welcome in the factory workforce.
How did the BIA try to alleviate the problem with urban Indians after the war?
Setting up job placements in 1948 in Denver and Los Angeles. From the 1950s and onwards, gov policy was centred around urbanising indians.
Pressure from the NCAI led to Congress setting up the Indian Claims Commission (ICC) in 1946. What did this do?
It was in 1946 and aimed to settle land disputes, but it was slow to act and only compensation was given to petitioners, land was rarely given back.
With the Black Hills of Dakota financial compensation was refused and tribes continued to fight for their land.
It was intended to last 5 years but there were so many claims it lasted until 1978.
What was the government’s policy towards Natives by 1953?
Termination.
What was termination?
It would effectively make all NAs full American citizens, ending recognition of separate tribes and treaties. Indians were no longer ‘wards’ of the government.
What were the first steps of termination?
Encouraging NAs to become more self-sufficient evidenced by the Indian Vocational Training Act 1956 that intended to improve employability and drew young NAs away from reservations.
Was termination beneficial to Native Americans by 1968?
NO. They had the highest level of illiteracy and unemployment in the US.
What was Johnson’s ‘Forgotten Americans’ in 1968?
It was a message to Congress in 1968 that set out a programme to promote Indian self-help. He proposed a National Council on Indian Opportunity to administer an ambitious programme of education for children of all ages from pre-school to high school and beyond. It would also provide legal aid and help them understand their rights.
What did Nixon do to termination?
He ended it
By 1960, how many NAs had moved to urban areas for work?
60,000
What did Natives still face in 1960 with work?
They still faced employment discrimination and white hostility.
What did Nixon do for Affirmative Action?
He continued it from Johnson and prohibited discrimination in federally funded employment.
What was the poverty rate for NAs in 1965?
25%. Many lived in substandard housing and shanty towns.
What was life expectancy like for NAs in 1965?
It was poor and many families were forced to return to deprived reservations.
How was urbanisation flawed?
Many NAs hated the urban environment, with 40-70% returning to reservations. Others formed individual communities to practice and retain their culture rather than losing their values.
What was the National Youth Council and when was it formed and what did it show?
It was formed in 1961 and signalled the growth of a militant protest against the injustices to NAs.
What pledge did Kennedy give the NCAI in the 1960s?
To develop resources for reservations but it wasn’t fulfilled because of his untimely death.
Why were the NA youth frustrated by the NCAI?
Due to its slow progress as well as the fact that it was guided by the assimilation made it appear suspicious. Many NAs didn’t want their land back and just wanted self-determination.
How did Red Power emerge with songs and books?
Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee raised awareness for the plight of NAs.
When was a fish-in held in Washington State and why?
1968 a fish-in held to protest the SC failing to uphold hunting rights.
What was AIM?
American Indian Movement, created in 1968 to take up the cause of promoting improvements to NAs and eliminating discrimination by actively patrolling the streets.
What was native soverignty?
It was pursued by young NAs and entailed the power to live according to their tribal laws and religion, as well as the campaign to reclaim tribal lands. Native sovereignty was something prevalent in cases brought to the Supreme Court in the 1970s.
What happened in the Siege of Alcatraz in 1969-71 and what was the significance of it?
The first step to native sovereignty. 14 NAs occupied Alcatraz under Richard Oakes, paying $24 in cloth and beads (same price that the government paid for the island from the Indians) which was rejected. The siege was covered by world media and gained awareness for the synonymous allusion to the treatment of the prisoners at Alcatraz and the treatment of NAs. As a result, more than 100,000 NAs visited the island and many disobeyed laws and regulations. The siege also resulted in many NAs getting more say in government policy and control over their lives and reappraisal of government policy.
How did the shift to termination and urbanisation affect Indians?
It was in some ways disastrous to assimilation. While many were assimilated in the process, others returned back to reservations and if they stayed, retained their culture and way of life. Coinciding with poverty, illiteracy and discrimination, many took up a more militant approach. By 1968 it was obvious that a united front would ensure that the struggle for justice, independence and freedom would be fruitful,.
