Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee takes the subject matter from a book with the same title by the author Dee Brown considered “one of the foremost works documented the systematic subjugation of the American Indian during the latter half of the 19th…
The Indian Removal Act went against the indian’s rights, and the indians did not want to move off their land. The Indians were forced off their land because of the Indian Removal Act. The Cherokee tried to go to court to fight the Indian Removal Act, explaining that the act was against their rights. The Cherokee did lose, and eventually were forced to follow the Indian Removal Act. The Native Americans that were moved also had rights to original land they lived on. For example, the Cherokee had a written constitution that explained that the Cherokee had full control of the land. That did…
Remini argues that while the Indian Removal Act, and the subsequent Trail of Tears, was a horrible event, there was no other viable alternative than removal if the Indians were to survive in America. Remini, while defending the necessity of Jackson’s policies and decisions, clearly…
Unfortunately, despite how precisely Indians followed white men’s laws and requirements, the Indian Removal would have eventually transpired. The Five Civilized Tribes shed their Indian traditions and culture to take on the Americans way of life. Indians not only adopted principles in government and agriculture, but also religiously. Despite all of this, whites still wanted to kick Indians out of their lands in order to bring profit to themselves. Even the national government could not terminate the Indian Removal. Through both the United States Constitution and Worcester v. Georgia, the national government declared that states could not operate the removal of Indians. All of this, illustrates the inhumanity and lack of compassion whites had…
Since the colonization of America, there have been tensions and confrontations between white settlers and Native Americans over territory and civilization. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, allowing him to communicate with Native American tribal leaders in order to negotiate their voluntary relocation to Federal reservations west of the Mississippi River. When several tribes refused to relocate, the conflict turned violent and was conducted through the use of militias and military force. Due to this violent conflict and the subsequent relocation of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans, relations between Native Americans and the United States Government have since been strained. Native Americans continually experience higher rates of poverty, fewer opportunities for educational advancement, higher rates of physical and mental illness, as well as general discrimination through social systems and policy. Strained relationships, societal, and economic opportunities have weakened and are less readily available to Native Americans, all factors that can be traced back to the Indian Removal Act.…
Sitting Bull was fierce and ruthless in battle. A warrior from his early teens, he grew up participating in, and ultimately leading assaults on enemy tribes. The Crow in particular locked horns with Sitting Bull and his Lakota headsmen with frequency and ferocity. The battle tactics of the plains Indians were characterized by frontal assaults and headlong charges in which each man was out to prove his mettle with valorous, and at times outright reckless actions. There was no clear chain of command as we think of. There were only men proving their bravery with intense aggression and flashy assaults. No one was as feared or respected in…
During the War of 1812, America became involved in a conflict with the Native Americans. The British armed Native Americans to fight the Americans. After this conflict was mostly settled, Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase. Settlers were sent to expand west, but the land the settlers were sent to explore was occupied by Native Americans. Jackson created the Indian Removal Act to get them off the land, leading to the Trail of Tears where Native Americans were forced off their land and taken to Oklahoma. The multiple perspectives of the sources concerning the Indian Removal Act and Trail of Tears help shape the reader’s view of these events by explaining what happened, the causes of it, and the perspectives of the people involved.…
It is said that this battle truly begun when an outburst of ghost dancing from the Sioux Indians brought fear of rebellion to James McLaughlin, an Indian Agent. McLaughlin later recalls what he had said to his superiors that day, “Indians are dancing in the snow and are wild and crazy...We need protection and we need it now. The leaders should be arrested and confined at some military post until the matter is quieted, and this should be done now.” This Ghost Dance Movement has recently been more prominent as the Indians begin to embrace their own culture, which have been heightening the tension between Americans and Indians. This time was indeed the last straw as Laughlin sent military into the Sioux territory to capture the Sioux leader Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull and a few Indians were later declared dead.…
When the government constantly issues tiny borders for the Cherokee Indians, they do not take into account the reality that the Cherokee Indians don’t have anywhere to go. The land the government wants is the only home of the Indians. The government swiftly annihilates rebels and sticks to its plan to gain more land (Carnes, 1996). Although this might seem like a plan of perseverance, it is selfish, ensnares, and abuses others. The Indians have lost their kin and home because of wrong control. This piece of evidence is important because it reveals the personal desires of the government and its cruel ways to get what it wants (Carnes, 1996). This system of law keeps people powerless and dependent on the government. While the Indian’s homes are to be abandoned, they offer no solution to the problem, and depend on their leader, Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull proposes and leads an idea of peace with the Americans, but this all comes to an end when he is accidentally killed by a policeman. The Indians seek a new leader [a strange farmer], and rely on the miraculous Ghost Dance (Carnes, 1996). Their enemy views the dance as a superstitious, and then massacres all of the Indians. Because of the selfish control of the government, led by fear of the Indians and greed, the Indians have no freedom; this shows how much people shouldn’t have ultimate control over…
Wounded Knee changed the lives of Indians. Indians have horrible living situations and the government is continuing to try to improve their lives today. They were not afraid to take a stand during the Wounded Knee standoff in 1973 and get the country’s attention to demand better treatment from the…
Most people are conscious of the devastating effects The Trail of Tears had on the Cherokee people, some question its necessity and the mindset of President Andrew Jackson to not only let this horrific affair to take lace but to fight tooth and nail for this policy. Despite the plethora of writings in place regarding the injustices that the Native Americans endured during the Trail of Tears very little attention has been given to why the people of that time would allow this forced removal to take place. This paper will analyze the immoral, unconstitutional and illegal engagements that took place during the development of President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy as well as the actions instigating the trail of trails and the devastating…
Even after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful for the government to remove the Native Americans from their lands, President Andrew Jackson refused to enforce the law resulting from the ruling. From this action, the US government forcibly removed around 16,000 Cherokees from their land and forced them to walk the Trail of Tears. Around 4,000 of them perished on the 2,200-mile journey; starting at the southwest to Indian Territory, now called Oklahoma. However, the terror didn’t end once they had been relocated against their will. Cultural Genocide was committed against them next, the government forced the married couples to remarry in western attire, cut their hair, and forced the children to attend a boarding school away from their families to learn how to speak and write in English. The government’s excuse for these violations was they were trying to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,”. Due to the government’s cruel action towards the Native Americans; for kicking them off their land for selfish reasons, such as land for new settlers and the discovery or iron ores, and the cultural genocide they were the root cause of, this action in history can be identified as…
In conclusion, the Trail of Tears is a perfect explanation of the U.S. government’s act of ruthlessness towards the Indians. The Trail of Tears resulted in a devastating effect for the Indians who were forced to walk over 1,000 miles to Oklahoma in a trip where some of them walked without shoes or enough clothing (Perdue, 2008). The food provision was scarce, they suffered from severe diseases and a large number of the Indians died from the harsh conditions and diseases. The U.S. must never forget these shameful and sad moments in its long history with the hope that the country learns from the past, in order to prevent the occurrence of other atrocities similar to the Trail of Tears. And I pray that the United States or any other country in…
The Indian Removal Act and the “Trail of Tears” was one of the worst tragedies in American history. It shows that the US government was forcing Native Americans to move from their homelands and endure great hardships of famine, cold and harsh weather, long treks on foot, and unfamiliar places with no regards to their safety, culture, history and wellbeing. Since the settling of North America by European colonists, relations between Native Americans and their increasing neighbors had been a bone of contention. While various groups were able to maintain peaceful relationships for a short time, the most general and often remembered state is one of hostility and disagreement. Both before and after its forming, the United States would encroach upon lands owned by Native Americans, ignoring treaties and guarantees made prior. In the more pleasant cases, settlers simply moved in and claimed land. In some less pleasant situations, whole tribes were killed or forced to move. The Native Americans had to leave their homelands, were forced on a dangerous, deadly journey, and shoved in a new land with which they were not comfortable.…
Native Americans have felt distress from societal and governmental interactions for hundreds of years. American Indian protests against these pressures date back to the colonial period. Broken treaties, removal policies, acculturation, and assimilation have scarred the indigenous societies of the United States. These policies and the continued oppression of the native communities produced an atmosphere of heightened tension. Governmental pressure for assimilation and their apparent aim to destroy cultures, communities, and identities through policies gave the native people a reason to fight. The unanticipated consequence was the subsequent creation of a pan-American Indian identity of the 1960s. These factors combined with poverty, racism, and prolonged discrimination fueled a resentment that had been present in Indian communities for many years. In 1968, the formation of the American Indian Movement took place to tackle the situation and position of Native Americans in society. This movement gave way to a series of radical protests, which were designed to draw awareness to the concerns of American Indians and to compel the federal government to act on their behalf. The movement's major events were the occupation of Alcatraz, Mount Rushmore, The Trail of Broken Treaties, and Wounded Knee II. These AIM efforts in the 1960s and 1970s era of protest contained many sociological theories that helped and hindered the Native Americans success. The Governments continued repression of the Native Americans assisted in the more radicalized approach of the American Indian Movement. Radical tactics combined with media attention stained the AIM and their effectiveness. Native militancy became a repertoire of action along with adopted strategies from the Civil Rights Movement. In this essay, I will explain the formation of AIM and their major events, while revealing that this identity based social movement's…