Week 3: Native American Policy

Indian Intercourse Act, 1790 Negotiations with tribes through Federal Government Indian Affairs under Department of War, 1824 Changes to Department of Interior, 1849 Indian Removal Act, 1830 Removal of Indians to Indian Territory (Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma) Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854 Negates treaties with Indians removed to territory

Corruption of Indian Officials “Ventilated” blankets, spoiled food

US government hurt Indians by: imposing treaties (loss of land) by force refusing to protect Indian land/rights in treaties from whites Fort Laramie Treaty, 1868 Creates Great Sioux Reserve in SD “insure civilization for the Indians and peace and safety for the whites.” Reservation policy: confine Indians to least desirable lands promise aid Indians less independent economically Reservations weaken Indians politically Supreme Court define Native Americans as non- citizen wards US ends treaty making in 1871

Map 17-2, p. 510

The Oglala Sioux spiritual leader, Chief Red Cloud in an 1868 photograph. Here he is seen with (l. to r.) Red Dog, Little Wound, interpreter John Bridgeman (standing), (Red Cloud), American Horse, and Red Shirt. He ventured to Washington with this delegation to discuss with President Ulysses S. Grant the various provisions of the peace treaty, just signed, to end the violent conflict over the Bozeman Trail. 6 © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Church denominations could appoint Indian agents Clean up corrupt reservation management Reformers try to “civilize” Indians: goal = assimilation Boarding schools (Carlisle in PA) teach children white culture Indian Rights Association assume Indian ways inferior Most members white women

First est Forced assimilation Indian children taken from families Lost Traditional Language Religion Culture

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“General Allotment Act” Reversed reservation policy Divided reservation lands acres to each family head Privatize communal lands Indians with private property become citizens Whites buy unallocated land Assimilation Destroys tribal organization Loss of land

US government still used force: massacre Lakotas (Wounded Knee, SD--1890) crush Ghost Dance (revival of traditions) Indian landholding declines whites cheat Indians into selling land Schools demoralize children not accepted by either Indians or whites Curtis Act, 1898 Abolished Indian Territory in Oklahoma Opens up to settlers/Land rush

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. 14 The celebrated artist Frederic Remington (1861–1909) produced this sketch of Oglala Sioux at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. SOURCE: Oglala Sioux performing the Ghost Dance at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. Illustration by Frederic Remington, The Granger Collection.

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Indians debate different tactics to address prejudice Middle-class Indians form SAI (1911) Help fellow Indians and challenge stereotypes Collapses (1920s) because of insufficient funds, white prejudice, & weak Indian unity Tribal fragmentation divides Indians

Indian Citizenship Act, 1924 Confers American citizenship on Indians Indian Reorganization Act, 1934 AKA “Indian New Deal” FDR & Collier reverse Indian policy Restore Indian lands to tribal ownership Grant tribes some political autonomy Termination Policy, Terminates tribal status of 109 tribes (13,263 Indians lose tribal affiliation Lose access to health care, education, etc

As the commissioner of Indian affairs, John Collier right reversed long-standing U.S. policy, insisting that “the cultural history of Indians is in all respects to be considered equal to that of any non-Indian group.” Wide World Photos, Inc.

Pan-Indian activist movement American Indian Movement (AIM) Reject assimilation Occupation of Alcatraz Island, American Indian Movement (1973) seize hostages at Wounded Knee, SD Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 1975 Gave federally recognized tribes control over how money spent Native American Languages Act, 1990

Ralph Crane, Life magazine © Time, Inc. Calling their movement “Red Power,” these American Indian activists dance in 1969 while “reclaiming” Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Arguing that an 1868 Sioux treaty entitled them to possession of unused federal lands, the group occupied the island until mid-1971.

Poverty: poorest ethnic group in US, highest unemployment rate; malnutrition Health: high rates of alcoholism (4x), tuberculosis(3x), diabetes(2x), suicide(3x) compared to rest of nation Education: 50% high school drop-out rate on average Gaming Bingo on reservations since 1970s; casinos since 1980 Semi-sovereign status means must enter into agreements with states Has helped raise standard of living for some tribes; caused additional problems for others