"No racial group has suffered more humiliation, destruction, abuse and discrimination from the "white man 's" ways than the American Indian." (pg.430) From the very beginning, North American Indians were a target of the English settlers because they possessed what they wanted the most, rich fertile lands. "Predictably, Native Americans viewed the white man 's encroachment into their lands as a threat to their culture, livelihood, and, ultimately, their survival." (pg.430) Since they were afraid of them, the Powhatan chiefdom, which was 30 different tribes in an alliance, continuously attacked the settlers. However, these attacks ended when the colonists captured and released Pocahontas, daughter of the chief. As the settlers started taking
…show more content…
government uprooting whole tribes from their "sacred and ancestral lands and forcing them to walk hundreds of miles to reach far western territories." (pg.431) This long and painful journey was known as the Trail of Tears and it created even more hatred and tension between the U.S. and the Native Americans. Realizing that a peaceful settlement was impossible, the Native Americans began to fight back. However, their attacks did not come out on top and they were all eventually rounded up. Even after all that suffering, the White Man thought it was a good idea to force Indians to adopt their culture and become civilized, as if they hadn 't already taken enough. They tried to force upon them the new religion of Christianity, the English language and white dress and hairstyles. However, in the 1930s, the federal government tried to reverse this but the damage had already been done. "In 1887, the United States Congress passed the Dawes Severalty Act as a concerted effort to break up large reservation holdings that bond Native Americans to their tribes." (pg.433) The plan did not really work out and Native Americans ended up losing 60 percent of their lands. They were given lands that were seen as unfit to cultivate and settle in. However, today it is home to "40 percent of the nation 's coal reserves, 65 percent of the nation 's uranium supply, ample veins of gold, silver, cadmium, platinum and manganese, large untapped pockets of natural gas and oil, acre after acre of uncut prime timber and 20 percent of the nation 's fresh water." (pg.433) In 1924, Congress granted citizenship to Native Americans, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, ensuring suffrage to all Native Americans and in 1978, Congress passed the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act. Overall, Native Americans were granted with citizenship, the right to vote, compensation, federal job opportunities and the right to freedom of religion. Nonetheless, the civil
government uprooting whole tribes from their "sacred and ancestral lands and forcing them to walk hundreds of miles to reach far western territories." (pg.431) This long and painful journey was known as the Trail of Tears and it created even more hatred and tension between the U.S. and the Native Americans. Realizing that a peaceful settlement was impossible, the Native Americans began to fight back. However, their attacks did not come out on top and they were all eventually rounded up. Even after all that suffering, the White Man thought it was a good idea to force Indians to adopt their culture and become civilized, as if they hadn 't already taken enough. They tried to force upon them the new religion of Christianity, the English language and white dress and hairstyles. However, in the 1930s, the federal government tried to reverse this but the damage had already been done. "In 1887, the United States Congress passed the Dawes Severalty Act as a concerted effort to break up large reservation holdings that bond Native Americans to their tribes." (pg.433) The plan did not really work out and Native Americans ended up losing 60 percent of their lands. They were given lands that were seen as unfit to cultivate and settle in. However, today it is home to "40 percent of the nation 's coal reserves, 65 percent of the nation 's uranium supply, ample veins of gold, silver, cadmium, platinum and manganese, large untapped pockets of natural gas and oil, acre after acre of uncut prime timber and 20 percent of the nation 's fresh water." (pg.433) In 1924, Congress granted citizenship to Native Americans, in 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, ensuring suffrage to all Native Americans and in 1978, Congress passed the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act. Overall, Native Americans were granted with citizenship, the right to vote, compensation, federal job opportunities and the right to freedom of religion. Nonetheless, the civil