NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY

1800s ◦Many issues during this time period: ◦Indian Removal Act ◦Trail of Tears ◦Long Walk of the Navajo ◦Dawes Act ◦Wounded Knee Massacre

Indian Removal Act ◦Andrew Jackson headed ◦Coerced Native Americans to abandon their lands ◦Alleged that the government could fairly purchase Indian land ◦Government did not always uphold this sentiment ◦Many tribes coerced into leaving their land under penalty of invasion

Trail of Tears ◦Indians moved from their land in Georgia and other southern states to Oklahoma ◦Creeks ◦Cherokees ◦Forced to walk across the land— often times shackled ◦Epidemics spread during this process: ◦Starvation ◦Typhus ◦Whooping cough ◦Dysentery ◦Cholera ◦Many died (Estimates range from 8,500 to 20,000)

Long Walk of the Navajo ◦1860s ◦Tribes forced to leave their lands ◦Navajo ◦Mescalero Apache ◦Moved to a reservation in New Mexico ◦Bosque Redondo ◦Thousands died (over 2,300)

Dawes Act ◦1887 ◦Native Americans offered 160 acres of land in the West to farm for profit ◦Not allowed to sell the land for 25 years ◦Farming in the West takes expertise that Native Americans did not have ◦Government hoped this would satisfy natives ◦Looked at as a way to “civilize” them

Americanizing the Natives ◦Christianity ◦Missionaries tried to convert Native Americans ◦School ◦All children required to attend school ◦Clothing ◦Not permitted to wear traditional clothing to school ◦Language ◦Native American Languages disregarded ◦Forced to learn English ◦Names ◦Given “American” names

Reservations Today ◦Faced with problems: ◦Alcoholism ◦Poverty ◦Poor academics ◦Dropout rates HIGH ◦Gambling ◦Distance from jobs

Resources ◦Indian Removal Act/Trail of Tears: ◦Long Walk of the Navajo: trail-of-tears trail-of-tears ◦Dawes Act/Americanizing: ◦Reservation Info: indian-reservations-so-poor-a-look-at-the-bottom-1/ indian-reservations-so-poor-a-look-at-the-bottom-1/