Indians Rights
A Life of Freedom
Austin Norton
History 1032
Dr. Arnold-Lourie
9/24/2013
In the 19th Century the Indian community faced harsh scrutiny. They were a misunderstood group of people who just like the blacks, wanted freedom and to be accepted in America. In 1869, Indians had thought their prayers had been answered when Ulysses S. Grant announced a new “Peace Policy” in the west. “In reality the [peace] policy rested on the belief that Americans had the right to dispossess Native peoples of their lands, take away freedoms, and send them to reservations, where missionaries would teach them how to farm, read and write, wear Euro-American clothing, and embrace Christianity. If Indians refused to move to reservations, they would be forced off their homelands by soldiers.”1 This is not what Sitting Bull meant when he said, “The life my people want is a life of freedom.”
What does freedom mean to the Indians?
Freedom was a sore subject for the Indians, considering all of what they went through. The Indians were consistently broken and never could seem to catch a break. They were driven west after their homes along the east were seized. During the late 19th century is when things took a turn for the worst. The government tried to run the Indians off their land by destroying the very foundation of their economy; Villages, horses, and buffalo. The army unleashed vicious attacks breaking the tribes one after another. Some tribes surrendered and were relocated to reservations in Oklahoma.
Chief Joseph, Leader of the Nez Percé Indians, was one of the many Indians removed to Oklahoma. Chief Joseph delivered a speech in Washington, D.C. to a distinguished audience that included President Rutherford B. Hayes. Chief Joseph states, “When I think of our condition my heart is heavy . . . We only ask for an even chance to live as other men live.”2 He continues to plea, “Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work . . .
Austin Norton
History 1032
Dr. Arnold-Lourie
9/24/2013
In the 19th Century the Indian community faced harsh scrutiny. They were a misunderstood group of people who just like the blacks, wanted freedom and to be accepted in America. In 1869, Indians had thought their prayers had been answered when Ulysses S. Grant announced a new “Peace Policy” in the west. “In reality the [peace] policy rested on the belief that Americans had the right to dispossess Native peoples of their lands, take away freedoms, and send them to reservations, where missionaries would teach them how to farm, read and write, wear Euro-American clothing, and embrace Christianity. If Indians refused to move to reservations, they would be forced off their homelands by soldiers.”1 This is not what Sitting Bull meant when he said, “The life my people want is a life of freedom.”
What does freedom mean to the Indians?
Freedom was a sore subject for the Indians, considering all of what they went through. The Indians were consistently broken and never could seem to catch a break. They were driven west after their homes along the east were seized. During the late 19th century is when things took a turn for the worst. The government tried to run the Indians off their land by destroying the very foundation of their economy; Villages, horses, and buffalo. The army unleashed vicious attacks breaking the tribes one after another. Some tribes surrendered and were relocated to reservations in Oklahoma.
Chief Joseph, Leader of the Nez Percé Indians, was one of the many Indians removed to Oklahoma. Chief Joseph delivered a speech in Washington, D.C. to a distinguished audience that included President Rutherford B. Hayes. Chief Joseph states, “When I think of our condition my heart is heavy . . . We only ask for an even chance to live as other men live.”2 He continues to plea, “Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work . . .
Bibliography: Foner, Eric, “An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs”, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, Vol. 2, 3rd edition, edited by Eric Foner, 28. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011 Foner, Eric, “An Indian’s View of Indian Affairs”, Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, Vol. 2, 3rd edition, edited by Eric Foner, 28. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011 Foner, Eric, Give Me Liberty: An American History, Vol. 2, 3rd Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011 "President Grant advances “Peace Policy” with tribes - Timeline - Native Voices." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/342.html (accessed September 24, 2013). Trafzer, Clifford, American Indians/ American Presidents: A History, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009