The Search For Minority Rights, 1960-80 Flashcards
Native American protest 20 November 1969
Alcatraz Red Power Movement (ARPM) takes over Alcatraz Island and occupies it until 1971
Native American protests 1971
AIM (American Indian Movement) membership at 4,500
Violence when they protest at white Boy Scouts performing ‘Indian dances’ in Topeka, Kansas
Protests at Fort Snelling, Minnesota and Black Hills of Dakota
Native American protests in 1972
AIM (American Indian Movement) trail of broken treaties: protest drive to Washington, protest outside the BIA about management of issues e.g. not renegotiating government treaties that took over Native American land
BIA building is occupied
Native American protests in February 1973
AIM occupies the village of Wounded Knee and declares independence as the Oglala Sioux Nation
Government sends in US Marshalls and state police, siege lasts 71 days and the AIM withdraws once the government agrees to an investigation of its demands/grievances
Native American protests from Feb-July 1978
Longest Walk from San Francisco to Washington to protest about forced removal of American Indians from their homelands and against Congress’ unwillingness to renegotiate treaties
Roosevelt’s policies about native Americans
Reversed trend of assimilation under Indian New Deal (Indian reorganisation act 1934)
Wanted Indian tribes to run in a ‘constitutional’ way, under tribal councils
BIA attitude after Roosevelt
Assimilation, encouraged moving to towns and cities, offered job training and housing, disrupted tribal culture
Resolution from House of Representatives in 1953 towards Native Americans
Termination: policy where Native Americans were freed from federal control and protected and policed by US federal and state laws, but tribal lands would be open for sale
Resisted, needed consent under later ruling
How many native Americans lived in towns or cities by 1970
Half
Tribal homelands as a reason for Native American fight for rights
Many NAs driven from homelands and federal government made treaties with individual tribes with land and money for their removal, by 1960s agreed that treaties were unfair
NAs wanted new treaties or to return to homelands and sacred sites
Self-determination as part of Native American fight for rights
Tribes were independent nations under federal government, ran under control of BIA
BIA implemented regulations to break up Indian culture and damage tribal cohesion
Wanted respect from tribal organisation, freedom to run affairs, change of BIA personnel
Examples of BIA breaking up Indian culture
Indian boarding schools set up from 1893: children only speak English, cut their hair, wear proper clothes and give up native customs
Older children placed in farms in East and Midwest
What was the Indian civil rights act
Banned tribes from restricting the civil rights of tribal members
When was the Indian civil rights act
1968
When was the American Indian movement set up
1968
What did the AIM do
Radical, anti-federal system, slogan ‘red power’
Adopted direct action techniques of black American civil rights groups (sit-ins, demonstrations, occupations)
Targeted disputed land for occupation, occupied federal buildings
Targeted demeaning of Native Americans culture by white people, e.g. ‘Red Indians’
Nixon’s actions towards native Americans
Sympathised with campaigners, rejected termination and forced assimilation
Advisors consulted tribal leaders for solutions
Brought bills to congress for indian autonomy
Didn’t reform the BIA, didn’t renegotiate about sacred sites: no solution to land issues, many states continued to evict NAs from land if they wanted it for something (e.g. Hawaii in 1971)
What was the Indian Education Act and when was it
Funds for tribal schools in 1972
What was the Indian financing act and when was it
Lent tribes funding in 1974
What was the Indian self-determination act and when was it
Kept the BIA but contracted out services e.g education and health
Gave NAs more control in 1975
Impact of the Voting Rights Act and when was it extended
1975, extended to cover more racial groups (native Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic groups), provided language assistance when voting
Initial act only gave these rights to Black people and Puerto Ricans
What was the Indian child welfare act and when was it
In 1978, gave native Americans more control over adoption of Native American children
Return of Native American land in the 1970s
Land returned to Kootenai tribe in Idaho after occupation of the area
1970: congress returned land at blue lake to taos pueblo tribe
1971: Alaska native claims settlement act transferred 40 million acres of land and $426.5 million to native Alaskans
What was the bracero programme
Mexicans signed contracts to work in return for guaranteed level of housing and working conditions
Guaranteed Mexicans the same wages as existing workers, didn’t always work so when they worked for lower wages, farmers resented them and saw them as taking their jobs
