Strangers TO These Shores 11th ED. CH 7 Notes PDF

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Strangers TO These Shores 11th ED. CH 7 Notes...

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World Civilizations to 1500: Study Sheet for Geography Quiz Below are lists of 27 major geographical features of the Earth, and 16 early societies/regions/civilizations. For the quiz, be ready to locate these on a map. Use your textbook, Google Earth/Google Maps, and the library’s atlases to identify unfamiliar places & prepare for the quiz with the practice map on Blackboard! Note that your blank map for the quiz will be same as the practice version, but ~11x17 in size. Good luck and feel free to see me in office hours if you have any questions! I. Physical Geography (Marked by Numbers) i. Continents: Europe Asia Africa North America South America Indian Subcontinent AustraliaSTRANGERS TO THESE SHORES – 12TH ED.

CHAPTER 7 –

AMERICAN INDIANS •

The Europeans and the American Indians initially were strangers to each other.

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The Europeans who first traded with and then conquered the natives showed little interest in understanding them.

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Brutalized and exploited, the American Indians experienced all the dominant-group response patterns: legislative action, segregation, expulsion, xenophobia, and—for some tribes and groups —annihilation.

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In turn, they reacted with varying patterns of avoidance, defiance, and acceptance, steadfastly remaining numerous and in persistent subcultures with a marginal existence.

Sociohistorical Perspective •

Although American Indian tribes differed in language, culture, and dress, they all had a belief in living in harmony with the land. They actually had high levels of social organization.

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European settlers found this odd and condemned the aspects of American Indian culture they did not agree with. They were seen as savages with less intelligence.

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Self-justification by Europeans led to a negative stereotype of American Indians as brutal, savage, treacherous, lying heathens.

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Europeans had to justify taking the land from the people and did so by dehumanizing.

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The relationship between American Indians and Europeans was antagonistic.

Whites were the minority for a good deal of time and the American Indians could not understand their use of physical violence as a means of social control. •

Whites could not understand why American Indians did not want to become Christians and live a “more civilized” life.

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The major antagonism was over who would prevail on the land. Would it be developed or remain in its natural state?

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In the mid-nineteenth century, the government used military force to relocate American Indians, resulting in the death of thousands.

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Tried, but mostly failed, attempts at unifying American Indians began in the early twentieth century.

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There is some unification today, but some prefer to be active for their own tribes rather than the group as a whole.

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The Civil Rights movement had the biggest effect on American Indian rights.

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Throughout their 500-year history with whites, American Indians consistently rejected the notion that the whites’ religions and lifestyles were superior to theirs.

Early Encounters •

The first encounters between Europeans and American Indians were filled with wonder.

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Ultimately, Columbus saw the American Indians as potential servants and assumed they had no religion.

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There was some awe over the new people discovered, but ultimately they were seen as brutal and bloodthirsty, and they were exploited.

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Their numbers were seriously decimated, as American Indians were also fatally susceptible to diseases because they had not developed immunities to Old World illnesses.

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Latin American tribes had greater racial harmony with the European settlers, but still experienced economic stagnation.

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North American tribes did not have racial harmony or economic benefits.

Cultural Strains •

When the white settlers were few in number and depended on American Indian assistance, intergroup relations usually were peaceful and cooperative.

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With stabilization of the settlements, relations between the two races became more strained.

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Throughout the westward movement, if contact led to cooperation between the two cultures, the resulting interaction and cultural diffusion usually worked to the disadvantage of the American Indians.

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They lost their self-sufficiency and became economically dependent on whites.

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Their skills were exploited by whites and American Indians were expected to comply with the whites’ demands. Even when American Indians complied, they were seen as inferior people and destined for subservience.

Differing Values •

Benjamin Franklin, in 1774, offered an example of differing values in education in a treaty signed between the whites and Iroquois.

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The Iroquois acknowledged and thanked them for the offer of education for the young, but declined.

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They identified examples of American Indians who had been instructed in European education and they were no longer able to function in the tribal ways.

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Almost 100 years later, George Catlin discussed how the two groups viewed each other.

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Both groups are ethnocentric in their views, and when adopting this stance the judgments tend to be harsh and the outgroup is judged as inferior.

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Some historians argue that the Iroquois influenced provisions in the Constitution.

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In its time, the League’s democratic processes were so effective that romanticists called the Iroquois the “Greeks in America,” and aspects of their system served as models for the colonists.

Values and Social Structure •

Although tribes differed, they did have many similarities in their values and structure. –

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Land ownership fell to the tribe. –

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Land is meant to be respected, so hikers, bikers, etc. won’t encounter “no trespassing” signs on tribal land.

American Indians developed primary relationships through a clan system (descent through a common ancestor). –

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Tribes had a respect for land and nature. They used all parts of the animals they hunted.

Children were loved and disciplined by the extended family of the tribe.

Women’s functions were to work and to raise children. –

However, the women were not subservient to the men. They had a cooperative, but not egalitarian relationship.

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Each member of the tribe had roles to fulfill. In some tribes, women held places of high esteem.

Stereotyping •

American Indians are stereotyped as bloodthirsty savages. Some tribes were more warlike, but tried to avoid conflict.

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Rivalries existed and were exploited by Europeans.

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Most tribes held a retributive view of justice. Wrongs must be righted.

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American Indians were socialized not to bring shame and so would go along without objection.

Changes in Government Policies •

Official European and U.S. government policies toward American Indians have changed frequently throughout the years.

Indian Removal Act – 1830 

The Indian Removal Act passed by one vote under President Andrew Jackson.

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Expulsion of American Indians from southeastern states and their relocation to the territory west of the Mississippi River. Reason: expanding cotton industry.

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The Cherokee

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Trail of Tears – Federal government expelled the Cherokee from their land in Georgia and forced them to move 1,000 miles westward. Facing hunger, disease, and exhaustion more than 4,000 died along the way.

Reservations and Dependence •

The U.S. government policy changed in the mid-nineteenth century to a method that can still be seen today. Rather than annihilation and expulsion, it changed to segregation and isolation.

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American Indian tribes and their lands were no longer sovereign nations, but now wards of the state controlled by government bureaucrats.

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This method was not to restructure the existing American Indian life, but to Americanize the “savages.”

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Destroyed tribal organization, allowed only English instruction in schools and Christian teaching, and required “white” style of dress and hair.

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A key value taught was the individualism of American culture. They did not like the American Indian method of cooperation. 4

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Legislation was passed to end communal ownership of the land with the hope that the individuals would have self-interest and take advantage.

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It really removed even more land from American Indians.

Indian Reorganization Act •

The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 ended the land-allotment program, encouraged tribal selfgovernment, extended financial credit to the tribes, gave preference in Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employment to American Indians, and permitted consolidation of American Indian lands split up through inheritance.

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Encouraged American Indians to revive ancient arts and crafts, languages, religious ceremonies, and customs.

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In the 1950s, new top administrative personnel in President Eisenhower’s Interior Department and the BIA advocated a different philosophy and shifted the BIA back to assimilationist policy.

The Relocation Program •

The Bureau of Indian Affairs began a program in the 1950s, offering assistance to any American Indians who wanted to relocate to urban areas for greater opportunities.

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The use of the phrase “relocation” brought fear to American Indians. That was the phrase used for the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

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About 40,000 American Indians enrolled in the program and worked low-skill jobs. Some adjusted, others turned to alcohol, a quarter returned to reservations.

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The program ended after 1960, when other attempts were made to improve life.

The Termination Act - 1953-1954 •

Ended federal responsibility for welfare and administration of American Indians

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The termination acts ended all federal services and liaison with tribal organizations and sold reservation land, giving that revenue to the tribes.

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Medical care, schools, road maintenance, and other federal services guaranteed under treaty obligations immediately were halted, instead of gradually withdrawn to allow a period of transitional adjustments.

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The Menominee of Wisconsin were immediately hurt by the acts.

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The strain was on the state of Wisconsin, which had to turn to the federal government for welfare assistance.

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The federal government realized their plan to end their “care” for the American Indians did not come to fruition.

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The standard of living dropped sharply as the tribe lost its ability to furnish water, electricity, and health care. Shortly after termination, a tuberculosis epidemic swept through the Menominee.

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The termination acts were ended in 1973. Most tribes were given back their federal recognition, but not their land.

Present-Day American Indian Life •

Of all the minorities in the United States, according to government statistics on income, employment, and housing, American Indians are “the poorest of the poor.”

Population •

2015 Census –

2.4 million, one race

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6.6 million, two or more races

Education •

In 1976, the American Indian Policy Review criticized the BIA for dumping children in schools that did not rehabilitate and putting American Indian children in schools far from home.

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The intent was to separate the children from the tribe.

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The Educational Amendments Act of 1978 gave control over school policies and programs to the American Indians.

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Since then there has been some improvement, but American Indians still lag behind the U.S. population in graduation rates.

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Tribally controlled colleges came into existence in 1968 when the Navajo Nation established the first such institution, Navajo Community College, in Arizona (now called DinS College).

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Tribal Colleges Executive Order passed by President Clinton and renewed by President Bush provided more resources to tribal colleges.

Employment

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Unemployment exceeds 50 percent on many reservations and on a few it is over 80 percent.

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As education level goes up, so does employment.

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Some tribes have succeeded through their own efforts. Cherokee Nation profits $100 million annually through Cherokee Nation Industries.

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Mississippi Choctaw are one of the 10 largest private employers in the state.

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242 tribes operated casinos in 28 states in 2011. (Mohegan Sun)

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They generated more than $9 billion in federal taxes and revenue savings through reduced welfare and unemployment benefit payments.

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Nicknamed the “new buffalo” (casinos) because of their role in providing for the tribes’ well-being.

Health Concerns •

American Indians have lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality rates than other groups. Their healthcare system, lack of education, and discrimination lead to these health problems. Many of the health problems of American Indians are the result of alcohol abuse.

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Higher rates of suicide than other groups. More likely to be victims of violence, including rape and aggravated assault, than other groups.

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Gang violence is becoming a problem on some reservations.

Housing –

“Open-air slums” - The crowded, poor housing with wood-burning stoves leads to disease. Many do not have electricity, plumbing, kitchen facilities, phone

Urban American Indians •

78 percent of American Indians live away from reservations or in urban areas.

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American Indians who move to the city in search of something better usually find life is harder.

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A side effect of living in cities is an increase in American Indians involved in gangs.

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Alcohol problems are higher for American Indians living outside of the reservation.

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Once American Indians succeed, they typically leave urban areas for the suburbs.

Natural Resources

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Encroachment on American Indian land to obtain natural resources or fertile land continues.

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The need for water and energy has led government and industry to look covetously at reservation land once considered worthless.

Environmental Issues •

Underneath the 53 million acres held by 22 western tribes lie some of the nation’s richest reserves of natural gas, oil, coal, and uranium, worth billions of dollars.

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One-third of the nation’s low-sulfur coal and at least half of its uranium deposits are on tribal land.

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There have been numerous cases of environmental issues with companies and the government taking advantage of American Indian land.

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Blackfeet. Montana. The sacred hills are at risk of being strip mined. Environmentalists have helped to keep the land protected, for now.

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Navajo. The Navajo reservation (the largest in the U.S.) sits on top of large coal and uranium deposits. Many of the American Indians living there are without electricity or running water. The Navajo worked the land when the uranium was being extracted. Today, the remains of that are a risk to the people there.

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Southern Ute. The Southern Ute tribe, located on a 700,000-acre reservation in southwest Colorado, has become an energy powerhouse and a model for other resource-based tribes. They have a net worth of $4 billion and diversified assets. They are able to build a hospital, churches, and schools.

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Standing Rock Sioux. 2016 – protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It was to extend through land the Sioux considered sacred (burial grounds, cultural artifacts). There was a great concern of environmental impact.

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Environmental Racism –

Reservation land is not subject to the same standards as the rest of the U.S. With landfills filling up and no place to dump waste, American Indian land has been recommended for dump sites.

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This is considered environmental racism. Disproportionate impact of hazardous materials on people of color or low income.

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Every attempt to curtail this manner of racism has been stopped

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Environmental justice fights against environmental racism.

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The tribes find themselves torn between economic development to generate badly needed revenue sources and violating their beliefs about the sacredness of the land.

Water Rights •

Water rights are the western tribes’ most valuable rights

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The most serious resource shortage for many Western tribes is water.

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With agriculture and suburban development, many try to tap into the reservations’ protected land.

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The federal government is supposed to protect the American Indian land, but violated some of the protections in the early 1900s. The reservations won some of their cases, but the negotiations over water rights continue.

Pan-Indianism •

Pan-Indianism is a social movement attempting to establish an American Indian ethnic identity instead of only a tribal identity.

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American Indian activism has a long history, but there are some notable groups: National Congress of American Indians (1944), The National Indian Youth Council (1961) and The American Indian Movement (1968).

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They and other American Indian organizations have worked to remove caricatures of American Indians from sports team mascots.

Militancy

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November 20, 1969, was the first in series of staged media events to draw the public’s attention to the plight of the American Indian.

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On this day, 78 American Indians from different tribes under the name “Indians of All Tribes” temporarily occupied Alcatraz Island.

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Alcatraz, a former federal prison, was symbolic of life on the reservation. Isolated, lack of running water, and dependent.

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On February 27, 1973, approximately 200 AIM (American Indian Movement) members defiantly seized control of the village of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, taking 11...