Native American Poverty

Introduction In 2015, the Census bureau released data on Income and Poverty in the United States (Bureau). The smallest ethnic group at just over 5 million people, held the highest rate of poverty; again. With an average income median for families of $37,227, $16,000 less than the national median average, Native American’s held and continue to hold the highest rates of poverty among all races and ethnicities (Bureau). However, the problem is not only contemporary yet historical. History has shown a state of economic turmoil has existed in the American Indian population since the construction of American society and colonization (Davis, Roscigno, and Wilson). In attempting to identify the factors which have contributed to American Indian poverty
According to the studies, a series of legislation by the government led to the forced migration of tribes in the 19th and 20th Century. Beginning with colonization, Tribes were forced from the East to the West coast, and to rural locations away from economic development. The lands that many settled on faced difficulties in cultivation a departure from the previously held land, ultimately leading to a failed new economy (Avitabile & Kleiner). This idea is highlighted by recent literature revealing disproportionate levels of poverty among Indian groups residing in Rural areas and on isolated land when compared to metropolitan locations (Leichenko). Furthermore, a 2009 study by Black identified the effects of the forceful relocation of American Indians and Exclusion under President Andrew Jackson. He argued that the strategic implementation of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a huge blow to tribal lands, especially in the southeastern parts of the U.S. The government used policy to purge the coast of tribes to allow for the appropriation of vacated masses of land (Black). Though much of the movement among American Indians have been involuntary historically, some researchers have looked more closely at relocation in more recent years into the city. According to Sandefur, Rindfuss,
During the period after World War II, the Federal government sought to reduce the amount of money spent on Indian Reservation subsidies, as well as increase access to the resources on Indian lands (Burt). Thus, the Indian Relocation Act of 1956 was established. Under the act, the government offered to cover moving and resettlement costs of Indian families to urban cities, as well as provide jobs to families in the new