The building of the Grand Coulee Dam flooded parts of the Spokane and Colville tribe’s shared reservation for the generation of inexpensive energy, none of which was offered to them as compensation. Through the satirical poem The Powwow at the End of the World, Sherman Alexi raises the question of who holds power, making sarcastic quips about the white people demanding forgiveness by naming a series of hyperbolical conditions following the phrase “I have been told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall after...” This situation could be described by “...others would find it more convenient to suggest that Indians, being ‘Godless’ and ‘savage’...had disqualified themselves from the rightful ownership of the land.” from Gary Nash’s
Analysis of Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, is an exceptional autobiography on a man's first-hand experiences during the Vietnam War. Philip Caputo was a Lieutenant during the Vietnam War and illustrates the harsh reality of what war really is. Caputo's in-depth details of his experience during the war are enough to make one cringe, and the eventual mental despair often experienced by soldiers (including Caputo) really makes you feel for participants taking part in this dreadful war atmosphere.
The Vietnam War has become a focal point of the Sixties. Known as the first televised war, American citizens quickly became consumed with every aspect of the war. In a sense, they could not simply “turn off” the war. A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo is a firsthand account of this horrific war that tore our nation apart. Throughout this autobiography, there were several sections that grabbed my attention. I found Caputo’s use of stark comparisons and vivid imagery, particularly captivating in that, those scenes forced me to reflect on my own feelings about the war. These scenes also caused me to look at the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier, which is not a perspective I had previously considered. In particular, Caputo’s account of
The “Utmost Good Faith” clause from the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 however, stated, “The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the Indians; their land and property shall not be taken from them without their consent; and in their property, rights, and liberty, they shall never be invaded or disturbed.” (Document 9). However, a letter from three Seneca Indian leaders to George Washington, President of the United States, argued, “When your army entered the country of Six (Iroquois) Nations, we called you the town destroyer; to this day, when your name is heard, our women look behind them and turn pale, and our children cling to the necks of their mothers…” (Document 10). This, in fact, proves the American Revolution was not revolutionary because the Indians were promised the “Utmost Good Faith” and that their land and property would never be invaded or disturbed, but their towns were left completely devastated and halted society from changing into a better
The Indians felt that the Whites were coming in and taking over the land of their ancestors, without regard. The increased population was also depleting the natural resources of the land. The Indians learned from the Whites that by banding together they were stronger and could present a “show of force” when attacking the settlements. The Indians feared that if they did not take action, there would be nothing left for them (Roark et al., 2012, 103). The Indians were, consequently, forced to fight to maintain their way of life. Whites attempted to
After reading The Book of the Unknown Americans, I realized how difficult immigrating to the United States can be. I am an immigrant also, so just reading the story makes me relate to many problems immigrants experience relocating to a different country. Immigrants often face many issues and difficulties, but for some it is all worth it, but for others there comes a point in time where they have to go back to their hometown. Alma and Arturo Rivera came to the United States to better their life, but also so that Maribel could attend a special education school. While Arturo had a job things had gone well for the family, but once Arturo lost the job and passed away the two of them had to go back because they felt that that was the best option for them. Reading this book made me realize how strong an individual has to be to leave their own country and relocate somewhere else not knowing if this will better your life or cause one to suffer.
According to Joan Marshall and PBS, these articles showed us how the Choctaw and Creek tribes were treated. The tribes were robbed of their property, and because of the long journey, food started to deplenish and a disease started to spread. These affected the Indians a lot and eventually lead to death. On the other hand, people that may oppose to this by saying that the Indians did have time to prepare. The U.S. had gave them time to gather all of their belongings and during that time, why didn’t the Indians think of the many different things to pack so that they’re prepared for the long journey ahead of them. But, if you think about it, there was no time given. Going back to the PBS article, when the other tribes were forced out of the territory, they weren’t given time to gather their belongings and prepare. The Indians were being forced out of the territory, the U.S. did not let them leave on their
The mission of the act, stated in the first section, is to “provide in severalty to Indians on the various reservations and to extend the protection of the laws of the United States” (Dawes Severalty). Motives of providing “protection of the laws,” compelled the Indians Rights Association to support the effort, labelling it a “humanitarian reform” (Sendrow). Despite this label, the Dawes Act did not fully represent reparations because its measures ultimately benefitted whites just as much as Indians. For example, in Section 5, Dawes adds that “if in the opinion of the President it shall be for the best interests of said tribe, it shall be lawful for the Secretary of Interior to negotiate with such Indian tribe for the purchase and release” (Dawes Severalty). Although Dawes takes into account the Indians’ “best interest,” the President makes this dubious assessment that leaves room to justify seizure of land for white economic gain. Later in the section, Dawes details that the land will be doled out “in tracts not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres to any one person” (Dawes Act). While Congress appears to be granting properly sized homesteads, they conveniently equivocate that their generosity carries little burden because, as detailed later, the land granted was
The poem begins with the speaker reminiscing about a happy time in his childhood when he was riding the bus in Baltimore, taking in the sights and sounds of an unfamiliar city. The author uses alliteration when he writes the boy was, “head-filled, heart-filled with glee”. He notices another boy staring at him, so he smiles at the boy. The speaker believes there is little difference between them because of the closeness of the two’s size and age. We learn that the speaker is a small 8-year-old, and the other boy was also small. Naturally, we think maybe the boys will become friends or talk, since they’ve already took that preliminary step to introducing yourself. Instead of smiling back, the other boy sticks out his tongue and calls the speaker "nigger". The white child’s slur makes the speaker aware of how much larger the differences really are between them.
... point, or the other judged unfairly and this resulted in the brutal eviction of the Cherokee people from their historical lands, which resulted in four thousand deaths and the giving of freedom to Worcester when he did not deserve it.
Times were very hard for Native Americans during the mid to late 1800s. The reasons for their afflictions could only be blamed upon the United States of America. For thousands of years, Native Americans had roamed around the Americas. There had also been many tribes spread across the West that fought between each other in order to have their land.1 It wasn’t until after reconstruction in the United States, that the white Americans started having ordeals with the Native Americans. The main tribes involved in the conflict starting around 1850 were the Lakota people and the Sioux. The relationship between them can only be remembered for broken treaties and wars. It is true that these tribes had only mind there own business for many centuries for the White Americans. It wasn’t around the 1850’s, that the United States were interested in the gold that was existing in the territories the belonged to the Native Americans. This would be the starting point of what historians call the Indian Wars that would last about half a century. The question is though, why? Why were there so many battles between the United States government and the Native Americans? Why was there so many hatred between them? Finally, who caused the violence? Many historians would believe that the government only wanted to have gold and then leave the Indian’s at peace and that they were the ones that acted irrationally. However, this is in fact a lie. It is genuine that they also wanted to rob them from there identity and who the Native Americans were as people. There was something much more than just gold in the Indian Wars. Although it may seem that the United States government only wanted riches from the Native American’s land, they actually wanted to extract t...
Native Americans in particular were abused by white people in the States. From the 16th century and on, European nations rushed into the “New World,” claiming terrain that Native Americans had lived on for hundreds of years. Treaties were repeatedly made with the United States government and Native American ethnic groups. These treaties generally brutally kicked the “Indians” out of their land and pushed them farther and farther west. The Indian Removal act of 1830 encompassed more than five tribes and pressing all of them out of the southern United States. While some Natives fought back, many were forced to comply in order to save themselves from the Americans’ wrath. Eventually the white people themselves went so far west that there was no longer anywhere to put the Native Americans. In order to deal with this conundrum, the American army forced most tribes to abide on reservations in hopes that they would gradually become civilized and assimilate to the American culture. These reservations were often iniquitous and atrocious places. It was almost unfeasible for the Indians to hunt the w...
A few years after the Civil War, the federal government opened the West for settlement. There was much at stake. For whites, there were acres of open land suitable for farming, trading, or transportation. For Native Americans, the plains was their home. Travelling from place to place, these tribes followed the herds of buffalo that provided food and clothing. Indian oppositions were met with many conflicts between the tribes and U.S. troops (“Wounded Knee Massacre”). Occasionally, some of the Native Americans’ attempts were successful in ceasing settlers from trespassing their land. With news of gold discoveries, many whites brought complications into the American Indians’ lives. Often, the settlers would take advantage of them. Signed by American agents and representatives of Indian tribes, early treaties primarily assured them of peace and integrity of their land (Martin). As more and more settlers arrived, these treaties were broken. The whites often sought protection from the government, and the government would obviously favor the whites. C...
She is commenting on how Native Americans lived before they were moved. They had a good life, as she writes, will a great sense of community, friendship and prosperity. No one in the tribe was left behind, no matter if they were not good hunters or gatherers. As long as you had a tribe to look after you, you will be alright. However, each stanza this pleasantness is interrupted by the white man. Even though what the Native Americans stand for is beautiful, they are removed and they are only allotted what the imperialists will give them. Here is a stanza to understand these concepts, “To each head of household—so long as you remember your tribal words for/ village you will recollect that the grasses still grow and the rivers still flow. So/ long as you teach your children these words they will remember as well. This /we cannot allow. One hundred and sixty acres allotted” (Da’). As we see with this quote, Da’ is pointing out how the new Americans exiled the Native people not only from their land, but their righteous ways of living, and the precious land that allowed them to be
In the 1830’s President Andrew Jackson demanded that all of the Cherokee Indians must leave the land they have called home for thousands of years. They are faced with the decision to either leave, and make a dangerous journey west, or rebel against the government, and accept the consequences. The Cherokee have the best chance of survival if they accept their new tribal lands and move west, because If they resist the government and stay in their original lands, they will be punished by the United States, and if the Cherokee move west, the United States will pay them and give them many valuable resources.
For decades, the United States practiced policies of removal to gain valuable land for itself. The policies of removal, assimilation, and concentration caused the deaths of thousands of Natives. The song Indian Reservation by Paul Revere and the Midnight Raiders is a reminder of the Trail of Tears, which killed a ¼ of the Indians that marched. The government removed the Indians from Georgia to benefit the plantation owners in the south, at the expense of the Native people in the area. Even the Supreme Court of the United States agreed that removal of the Indians from that land would be illegal, but President Jackson went ahead and did it anyways. The Indians marched over a thousand miles until they were west of the Mississippi River. It also gives a general overview of how the whites put the Indians on reservations and tried to assimilate them. “The beads we made by hand are nowadays made in Japan,” shows how the whites took over the Indian’s culture and commercialized it. Another situation in which the government practiced assimilation and concentration was with Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce. Joseph’s tribes were cooperative and sold their land to the whites as long as they got to live in their valley, but eventually the whites wanted all their land. The Indians fled and tried to make it to Canada, but 30 miles from the border they were caught and rounded up. They were sent to live on reservations, and most died of white diseases or starvation. By the year 1890, all Indians were on reservations. The Blackhawk war, which happened over land disputes in Wisconsin and Illinois, also led to the death and relocation of numerous Indians. This disrespect towards the Indians was typical of the time period.