Native American And Native Americans

713 Words2 Pages

Throughout United States history, Americans have treated Native Americans as unequals and forced suffering on Native American tribes. Events such as the Trail of Tears, the Sand Creek Massacre, and the Navajo Long Walk, just to name a few, will forever be a dark moment in American history. At the arrival of the Europeans, the population numbers of Native Americans are estimated from five million to fifteen million, with liberals preferring the higher estimates, and conservatives preferring the lower estimates. Today, the population of Native Americans in the United States is estimated to be two million, which is determined by the census. The number of Native Americans dipped down to nearly 250,000 during the late nineteenth century. The loss of population and treatment of Native Americans should be discussed more throughout high school and college course work, to ensure that this treatment does not occur to any other race.

It is a miracle that the numbers of Native Americans has reached nearly two million since the almost extinction of the Native American race in the late nineteenth century. Today, the Indian population is increasing at exceeding rates. The article, The Popularity of Being Indian: A New Trend in Contemporary American Society, written by Vine Deloria, Jr. in 1984, describes the increase in Native American populations in greater detail. The article suggests a different outlook on the increase, not that there is a remarkable increase in Indian birthrate, rather a new social phenomenon. During the 1970s, there has been a new outlook, as Vine Deloria, Jr. suggests “the establishment of Indian ancestry as proof of respectability and acceptance in American life has replaced the older concept of American respectability...

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...ficult for Native Americans to overcome racial barriers.

Overall, the population of Native Americans have increased significantly since the late nineteenth century. Much of this population rise can be attributed to more self-identification within Native American tribes. However, even with the rise with population, Native Americans are still suffering in the twenty-first century. The United States government needs to stand up and take more accountability that has been shown. One of the only apologies by the United Staes government occurred on September 8th 2000. The chairmen of the Untied States Bureau of Indian Affairs, formally apologized for the agency’s participation in the “ethic cleansing” of Western tribes. However, this is not enough, with Native Americans still suffering, more needs to be done in order to ensure the humanity within Native American tribes.

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