1. The Occupation of Alcatraz
The beginning of the Native American Civil Rights Movement

2. Termination and Relocation
The Federal Government coerced tribes to dissolve
Through the relocation act the government then sent many Native Americans off the reservations to cities
Once in these cities they were put in poor housing complexes and as soon as they found a job the government cut off all support.
The people in these cities became isolated and were too poor to travel back to their reservations

3. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868
This treaty gave the Sioux authority over their reservation and also stipulated that unused federal land could be claimed by the Sioux
But then gold was discovered in the Black Hills and the government tried to buy them for $5 million
The Sioux refused and the government quickly found a way to send in the military
This led to the Battle of Little Big Horn where Custer met his demise

4. Planning the first Occupation
In 1963 Alcatraz ceased to be a prison
A Sioux woman named Belva Cottier heard that the government didn’t know what to do with the island making it surplus land
She and her husband and a few others looked over the treaty and did some research finding out that Alcatraz had originally been Indian land
They got a lawyer and planned to stake a claim on the island

5. The Occupation of Alcatraz 1964
The Sioux sailed out to the island and claimed the island “by right of discovery”
The Sioux then filed a petition for the land
An official investigation was conducted to see if the Sioux really had any legal claim to island
It was determined that they didn’t, ending their claim
The commission in charge accepted hundreds of suggestions for what to do with the island

6. What next?
In 1969 it looked like an oil tycoon might buy Alcatraz for commercial use
Several activists living in San Francisco organized the symbolic taking of the island
A Mohawk Indian named Richard Oakes was a student activist that helped with the planning and most people saw him as the leader
Adam Fortunate Eagle arranged for boats to take them out to the island and alerted the media that they would be doing so