Sociological Investigation Number Two I strongly agree that the European Americans committed genocide against the Native Americans. The characteristics of the violence faced by Native Americans fits many facets of the definition of genocide. According to Article Six of the Rome Statutes, genocide consists of attempting to kill members of a group, causing serious bodily harm, trying to bring about a group’s destruction, preventing births, and forcibly relocating a group. For an event to be considered genocide, there must also be a government policy in place that advocated for the massacre (Anderson 2014, pg. 6-7). European Americans are guilty of all of these acts by attempting to kill entire Native populations, not sparing women and children,
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Covered in Article Seven, crimes against humanity covers some components of the genocide, such as causing serious bodily harm or killing members of a group through torture, sexual slavery, and food deprivation. The definition of crimes against humanity also includes the forced relocation of a group, coined as ethnic cleansing (Anderson 2014, pg. 7). However, unlike the definition of genocide, crimes against humanity fails to account for the efforts of the European Americans to exterminate the Native American population. Rather, it seems to suggest that the European Americans wanted the Natives to simply assimilate, rather than be destroyed. In order for this definition to fit the acts committed against the Native Americans, it would need to cover the prevention of births and the attempt to bring about a group’s destruction, rather than merely describing attacks directed at the group. Another attempt to describe the treatment of Native Americans is by labeling the acts as war crimes. Contained in Article Eight, the definition of war crimes asserts that a nation is not held liable if a military organization commits acts that fit the definition of genocide without sanction from the national government (Anderson 2014, pg. 8). However, there are cases where the President of the United States condoned genocidal treatment of the Native Americans by the …show more content…
There is a large disparity in resources between white Americans and Native Americans. This is due to the isolation of Native Americans on government-designated reservations. As the tribes were forced into signing treaties with the United States government, they were forcibly removed from their land. Being isolated on the reservations has prevented the Natives from interacting with the rest of society, constraining their access to valuable resources. Today, Native Americans have the lowest average income of any other ethnic group in America and they are overrepresented in the lower class. As of 2007, there is a $25,000 gap between the average income of the white American and Native American populations. This is because they are limited in the amount of job opportunities available to them. Native Americans living on reservations are more likely to do blue collar work or have government provided jobs, both of which are low paying. Only 25% of Native Americans hold management or professional work positions. They are also less likely to graduate from high school and college than the rest of the United States population, which further constricts their availability of well-paying jobs. Native Americans live on average four years shorter than white Americans. This can be accounted for by their restricted access to healthcare when compared to whites. 31% of Natives do not have
Covered in Article Seven, crimes against humanity covers some components of the genocide, such as causing serious bodily harm or killing members of a group through torture, sexual slavery, and food deprivation. The definition of crimes against humanity also includes the forced relocation of a group, coined as ethnic cleansing (Anderson 2014, pg. 7). However, unlike the definition of genocide, crimes against humanity fails to account for the efforts of the European Americans to exterminate the Native American population. Rather, it seems to suggest that the European Americans wanted the Natives to simply assimilate, rather than be destroyed. In order for this definition to fit the acts committed against the Native Americans, it would need to cover the prevention of births and the attempt to bring about a group’s destruction, rather than merely describing attacks directed at the group. Another attempt to describe the treatment of Native Americans is by labeling the acts as war crimes. Contained in Article Eight, the definition of war crimes asserts that a nation is not held liable if a military organization commits acts that fit the definition of genocide without sanction from the national government (Anderson 2014, pg. 8). However, there are cases where the President of the United States condoned genocidal treatment of the Native Americans by the …show more content…
There is a large disparity in resources between white Americans and Native Americans. This is due to the isolation of Native Americans on government-designated reservations. As the tribes were forced into signing treaties with the United States government, they were forcibly removed from their land. Being isolated on the reservations has prevented the Natives from interacting with the rest of society, constraining their access to valuable resources. Today, Native Americans have the lowest average income of any other ethnic group in America and they are overrepresented in the lower class. As of 2007, there is a $25,000 gap between the average income of the white American and Native American populations. This is because they are limited in the amount of job opportunities available to them. Native Americans living on reservations are more likely to do blue collar work or have government provided jobs, both of which are low paying. Only 25% of Native Americans hold management or professional work positions. They are also less likely to graduate from high school and college than the rest of the United States population, which further constricts their availability of well-paying jobs. Native Americans live on average four years shorter than white Americans. This can be accounted for by their restricted access to healthcare when compared to whites. 31% of Natives do not have