Native Americans- part two Flashcards
What was the Indian removal act?
1830- Jackson moved tribes to poorer lands west of the Mississippi that were promised to them forever.
What was the reality of the act?
Natives were moved to inhospitable lands which they would loose when treaties were broken.
What did Jackson say about the act?
By 1835 he said that it had been a success as 94 treaties had been signed, it had moved the natives away from the lawlessness of the east.
What was the impact of the act on the Cherokee?
They had assimilated, yet were put under pressure to leave. They went to the Supreme Court in 1831, arguing that as they were a nation within a nation, Georgia’ state laws didn’t apply to them. They won the case, but Jackson ignored this.
What happened to the Cherokee?
1835- unorthorized representatives of the tribe signed away 8m acres of land for $5m under the treaty of new echota. Most ignored the treaty, in 1838 soldiers were sent in and the Cherokee were marched 2200 miles to an Oklahoman reservation, 4000 died on the march known as the trail of tears.
What was the bureau of Indian affairs?
1824- meant to oversee treaty negotiations, education, and trade. Played an important role in setting up off reservation boarding schools. After the war it played a role in civilizing the natives through allotment and the destruction of native customs.
What was the first Indian appropriation act?
1851- authorized the setting up of reservations whose borders were chosen by congress.
What were three consequences of the Indian appropriation act?
- Forced natives to give away more land. 2. Made natives depend on government for food. 3 led to conflict when natives weren’t fed, such as the Apache defeat in 1863-64.
What was the second Indian appropriation act?
1871, natives made wards of the state, government no longer had to negotiate with them on the layout of reservations and other issues.
How would reservations civilize the natives?
- Education. 2. Conversion to Christianity. 3. Making them independent farmers through the Dawes act.
How would reservations destroy the native way of life?
- Banning polygamy and communal living. 2. Banning herbal remedies. 3. Ending tribal laws. 4. Ending native freedoms.
What did the government do after 1871?
Reduced size of reservations, destroying tribal customs, culture and native ceremonies.
What were off reservation boarding schools?
1879- Carlisle Indian school in Pennsylvania. Natives forced to send their children, their hair was cut and they were prepared for life in a white man’s world. They were viewed with suspicion once they returned.
What did 1867’s report on the condition of Indian tribes say?
Blamed whites for the plains wars and called for a more humane approach. Government planned to put all Sioux on one reservation in the black hills and all other natives on one in Oklahoma.
What was grant’s peace policy?
1869- more humane approach, set up the board of Indian commissioners to oversee the conditions on reservations. It became clear they were substandard, yet nothing was done. The 1874 great Sioux war showed the failure of the policy.
