Module 15 Lesson 4: Hispanic and Native Americans Seek Equality Page 3: Native Americans Struggle for Equality By: Rachel Rosenthal

Native Americans Seek Greater Autonomy As a whole, Native Americans have been the poorest of Americans and have suffered from the highest unemployment rate. Life expectancy was also several years less than for other Americans. In 1954 the Eisenhower administration enacted a “termination” policy to deal with these problems, but it did not respect Native American culture. Native Americans were relocated into mainstream urban American life, and the plan failed, and most of them remained poor. In 1961, the Declaration of Indian Purpose was drafted. In 1968 President Lyndon Johnson established the National Council on Indian Opportunity to “ensure that programs reflect the needs and desires of the Indian people.” Representatives of various tribes attending organizational meetings.

Voices of Protest Many young Native Americans were unhappy with the slow pace of change. This fueled the growth of the American Indian Movement (AIM). This protected the rights of large Native American populations. For some, this new activism meant demanding that Native American lands, burial grounds, and fishing and timber rights be restored. Others wanted a new respect for their culture.

Confronting the Government In the beginning stages, AIM, as well as other groups, actively, and sometimes violently, confronted the government. The “Trail of Broken Treaties” march protested the U.S. government’s treaty violations. This march caused $2 million dollars in property damage. A year later, AIM led nearly 200 people to a village where the U.S. cavalry had massacred a Sioux village in 1890. They seized the town, and took hostages. After tense negotiations with the FBI and a shootout that left two Native Americans dead, the confrontation ended with a government promise to reexamine Native American treaty rights.

Native American Victories In 1924, the Snyder Act granted full U.S. citizenship to Native Americans born in the United States. Lawsuits from Native Americans eager to exercise their rights change the voting situation. Arizona was the first state to change its voting rights. In 1965 the Voting Rights Act, which further strengthened protections for Native Americans and other minorities, finally settled the issue of Native American voting rights. Additionally, Native Americans went to federal court and regained some of their land. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Native Americans won settlements that provided legal recognition of their tribal lands as well as financial. Native American Victories

A video of the “Trail of Broken Treaties” march. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXqh_gQyCiU