From Activism to Legislation: Detailing the American Indian Movement and the Passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 By Trevor Garski Civil Rights for Indigenous Americans: Examining the Impact of the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the American Indian Movement The American Indian Movement(AIM) was successful because of how the movement targeted the media to gain attention towards equal rights, incorporated multiple tactics such as protests and sit-ins to demonstrate their frustration, and because of how inspiring their leaders were to gain momentum focused on the improvement of civil rights for the Indigenous. “In the summer of 1968, Native American activists Dennis Banks, George Mitchell, and Clyde Bellecourt gathered hundreds …show more content…
The American Indian Movement is one of the most pivotal periods of time in American history, but for some reason it is not taught in most primary education institutions. “In recent decades, AIM has been known primarily for cultural advocacy and for its work on behalf of Indigenous rights on a global scale” (“American Indian Movement(AIM) 6). It is very important for us to realize that, although small, the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 sparked the inspiration for other movements across the world to push for new legislation aimed at providing equal civil rights for all people, especially Indigenous. The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 was successful because it provided a legal framework for protecting the civil rights of Indigenous people, established an important precedent for recognizing the sovereignty and autonomy of Indigenous nations, and helped to address long standing injustices faced by Indigenous …show more content…
President Johnson was in office from 1963 to 1969, and signed the ICRA into law in 1968 (“Native American Civil Rights Movement and Act of 1968” 2). He also showed that he was committed to the improvement of civil rights for the Indigenous Americans and social justice in general by signing the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. This Act provided Indigenous tribes with more control over their own affairs and resources. Staying within the U.S. government, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate sponsored bills related to Indigenous civil rights which pressured lawmakers who did not yet support the bill to support the ICRA. This helped get the ball rolling in support of equal civil rights for the
In the conclusion, he argues that Indian reservations and land rights were achievements earned by the Indians through anticolonial resistance, and that, despite the American’s attempts over three centuries to fully assimilate and erase the Indians, they have been able to hold on to their culture and identity.
Theda Perdue and Michael D. Green argues that although the Cherokee nation had a vibrant and dynamic culture, the fight for their lands brought to surface voices from social groups a part of the American nation that disagreed with the government decision to remove the Cherokee nation from what was rightfully theirs. “If the separate existence of the Indian tribes were an inconvenience to their neighbours, this would be a slender reason for breaking down all the barriers of justice and good faith” (Perdue and Green, 109). Not only did the discussion for Indian removal bring about a new revolution, it sets the political foundation for American women “…with the opportunity to focus their benevolent concerns on a political issue” (Perdue and
Lindsey Hernandez Johnson U.S. Honors 28 September 2015 The Indian Removal Act & Trail of Tears Picture this; someone is in their home with their family, they are the first people to ever settle in this land, Native American, with their own language, religion and one day white people come. The white people are treated with kindness and welcome, not out of dignity but out of fear. There is peace.
Tina Hendi Mrs.Oakes U.S. History 20 May 2018 United States History Research Project DBQ - What significant impact did Russell Means and the American Indian Movement have on America during the 1960s -1970s? The American Indian movement (AIM) was founded in July 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Dennis Banks, Russell Means, Clyde Bellecourt, Vernon Bellecourt, Eddie Benton Banai, and George Mitchell, to advocate for American Indian rights in the United States. Later, Russell Means became a prominent leader and spokesperson for the group. Before the establishment of AIM, the Native Americans had an obscure existence, lack of autonomy and control in the United States.
Their defiance then was framed during an era that defined Native American sovereign status and nationhood in relation to American constitutional interpretation. Their struggle was an early example of civil rights movement that took place within the constraints of three Supreme Court decisions and four federal treaties. The treaties with the Seminoles helped shape their relationship with the federal government. Representation through the Bureau, and as defined through the Supreme Court decisions, was a federal obligation (or rationalization) to protect their lands, grant them ability to self-govern, and provide means for their survival and advancement. Although federal recognition for the Seminoles was not achieved until decades later, these early treaties set the groundwork for the Seminoles to gain the status of sovereignty that established a government-to-government relationship between the United States and the nation status.
The actions of the United States government toward Native tribes have changed drastically over the course of American history. The pre-Civil War (1776-1860) period was characterized by a policy of displacement, removal, and assimilation of Native tribes as the United States sought to expand its territories. After the Civil War (1864-1890), the government adopted a policy of reservation-based Native self-determination, which allowed Native tribes to retain their autonomy and cultural identity. In the pre-Civil War period, the government’s treatment of Native tribes was largely based on the Doctrine of Discovery.
Throughout the duration of Andrew Jackson’s presidency there were many controversial events, one of these events was the Indian Removal Act of 1830. This bill was created by senator Hugh White who served on the Committee on Indian Affairs. He proposed a bill that would give the president the power to grant Native Americans land west of the Mississippi River if the agreed to give up their homeland. The bill passed the senate on April twenty fourth and through the house on May eighteenth before finally being signed into law by Andrew Jackson on May twenty eighth 1830. The reason this bill was passed into law was because the people of the United States saw the Native Americans as an obstacle to progress and they wanted to settle on Native American
The Indian Removal Act The Indian Removal Act was signed as a law by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. This law was to remove and settle the Native Americans from East of the Mississippi River to the West, known as Indian Territory. This law also prohibited white people to settle in the nation. Thousands of Indians made attempts which were not violent. Many Indians refused to leave from their lands because they worked for them really hard to just be removed like that.
The Trail of Broken Treaties protest, a historic protest in 1972 led by the American Indian Movement (AIM), sheds light on the long-standing injustices endured by Indigenous peoples in the United States. The Trail of Broken Treaties unveiled a complex history marked by broken promises and strained relations between the U.S. government and Indigenous tribes. It also served as a catalyst for increased awareness and public discourse surrounding Native American rights and the necessity of reform. The protest allows for an examination of the transformation in government-Indigenous relations, the unification of different tribes and strength demonstrated by AIM, and the resulting impact on policies affecting Indigenous communities. Analyzing these
The Indian Removal Act was passed during Andrew Jackson’s presidency on May 28, 1830. This authorized the president to grant land that was west of the Mississippi River to Indians that agreed to give up their homeland. They believed that the land could be more profitably farmed by non-Indians.
In the 1800s, Native Americans had few rights in the United States. Even though Native Americans have lived in North America for longer than any European settler or explorer, they had always been viewed as uncivilized and inferior when compared to White settlers because of their origins. The belief of Manifest Destiny, which is the idea that God meant for the United States to own all of North America, caused Natives to be pushed out of their homes. President Andrew Jackson passed an act that forced Natives to succumb to white culture or relocate to reservations. Natives that relocated had to walk the Trail of Tears to get to the reservations.
Throughout the history of the United States, there generally have been dozens of particularly social movements, which is fairly significant. From the African American Civil Rights Movement in 1954 to the feminism movement in 1920, protests for all intents and purposes have helped these groups basically earn rights and fight injustice in a really major way. Some injustices that these groups face range from lack of voting rights to police brutality, or so they essentially thought. The indigenous people of North America aren’t actually immune to these injustices, basically contrary to popular belief. Back in the 1968, the American Indian Movement generally was formed to for all intents and purposes give natives security and peace of mind in a
When the Europeans began colonizing the New World, they had a problematic relationship with the Native Americans. The Europeans sought to control a land that the Natives inhabited all their lives. They came and decided to take whatever they wanted regardless of how it affected the Native Americans. They legislated several laws, such as the Indian Removal Act, to establish their authority. The Indian Removal Act had a negative impact on the Native Americans because they were driven away from their ancestral homes, forced to adopt a different lifestyle, and their journey westwards caused the deaths of many Native Americans.
Losing one’s cultural knowledge, and therefore the reality of their culture, allows others to have control over their collective and individual consciousness as well as their destiny. In this case, it is clear that the United States government has had the dominant relationship over the Native
Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.