This last topic I just recently thought of after discussing in class is the different types of laws and regulations on Native Americans in recent years, including the Meriam Report, and how they affected Natives for the better or worse. President Ronald Reagan's Policy towards Indians was summed up as "Less is more" regarding the treatment of Native Americans during his two terms in office. They believed less regulation and government spending was beneficial to Native Americans, even though the cuts in spending and social programs had been benefiting the lives of many Native peoples. For example, these proposed and passed budget cuts hurt the economy and stability of Native Americans in the town of Kickapoo. "Cuts to programs impacting Native Americans hit them as an ethnic minority greater than any other group of
…show more content…
The control of Indian affairs, businesses, and schools would be transferred from the federal government to the state governments. This makes me think back to the Meriam Report we discussed a few weeks ago. Maybe Reagan's policies were somehow influenced by the Meriam Report. The General Policy for Indian Affairs from the Meriam Report basically states that: The goals of the general policy for Indian Affairs was to make them merge into social and economic ways of life in the new white civilization, or if the Indians wanted to keep their old ways of life to at least help the Indians live in accordance with a “minimum standard of health and decency. Reagan, as well as with the General Policy for Indian Affairs, wanted to determine whether policies and reforms of Native Americans should be handled by state or federal governments. Whose responsibility was it after all? Should the Natives be left to themselves in order to become self sufficient, or should government intervention be a part of their lives for them to become American
The control of Indian affairs, businesses, and schools would be transferred from the federal government to the state governments. This makes me think back to the Meriam Report we discussed a few weeks ago. Maybe Reagan's policies were somehow influenced by the Meriam Report. The General Policy for Indian Affairs from the Meriam Report basically states that: The goals of the general policy for Indian Affairs was to make them merge into social and economic ways of life in the new white civilization, or if the Indians wanted to keep their old ways of life to at least help the Indians live in accordance with a “minimum standard of health and decency. Reagan, as well as with the General Policy for Indian Affairs, wanted to determine whether policies and reforms of Native Americans should be handled by state or federal governments. Whose responsibility was it after all? Should the Natives be left to themselves in order to become self sufficient, or should government intervention be a part of their lives for them to become American