![Picture](/uploads/4/9/5/6/49566209/7999607.jpg?950)
Native Americans having been here first have always had a
claim to this country; the hard part has been making that claim legally binding
and getting the U.S. government to honor its treaties. Native Americans as a
whole had to endure multiple wars and massacres that they never wanted just to
survive so that they could one day receive their god given rights. For a
majority of the 19th century Natives would divide themselves based on their
geographic area and not make an effort to unite as one people against a common
enemy, us(thank god). But in the 1960's and 70's they would follow the examples
of blacks and women (to an extent) to gain equal rights that were guaranteed by
law.
After decades of unequal schooling due to low funds the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed (1969) to fight for equal education for American Indians around the country. Native American activists would strive for media attention and by extension protection as African Americans before them had; they would even eventually create their own media which is still active today. Up to 1935 Native Americans were not even protected under the First Amendment and could be fined or sent to prison for practicing their traditional religious beliefs, these deep offenses would be key to pushing congress to concede land and money to American Indian tribes throughout the 60's and 70's and get the average American behind the idea of American Indians as equals. More recently there has been a lot of debate around the use of American Indian symbols and words for team mascots mostly they are about how the use of them distorts Native American history and culture, as they are often offensive stereotypes, like when "savages" or "Redskins" are used. They have been able to make a lot of noise about how the people that use these names are not doing anything positive for their tribe or people simply by asking them basic questions about Native American history. One of the most prominent organizations that advocate for Native American rights is the American Indian Movement (AIM) which was also formed during the 1960s.
By far one of the most significant displays of American Indian determination is when the Indians of All Tribes (IAT) decided to take Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, saying that they wanted the first thing people to see when they enter the country were the people who first lived their. It was not only the cause of the formation of the American Indian Movement (AIM) but it was also be broadcast around the country telling people hundreds of miles away from the nearest Indian reservation about the crimes committed against American Indians. They would occupy Alcatraz for an amazing nineteen months, from November 20, 1969 all the way to June 11, 1971, and it ends when the FBI took the prison by force. The rationalization behind the occupation was that the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) between the U.S. and the Sioux people said that all abandoned federal land would be returned to the Native people from whom it was 'bought' from. Alcatraz had been closed since March 21, 1963 and been declared as such in 1964, a large number of activists felt the island qualified. The Occupation of Alcatraz was a sign of the new desire among Native Americans for unity and equality in America.
In 1978 the American Indian Movement would lead a spiritual walk across the country to support tribal sovereignty and bring attention to the 11 most significant pieces of anti-Indian legislation; it was called "The Longest Walk". They believed that the proposed legislation would have repeal unjust Indian Treaties limited water rights, and other significant prejudicial laws. The walk began on February 11, 1978 with a ceremony on Alcatraz Island, where a Sacred Pipe was loaded with tobacco and carried the entire distance. The 3,200 mile walk's purpose was to teach people about the U.S. government's continuing threat to American Indians tribal sovereignty; it was able to rally thousands of Native Americans and represent almost every Indian Nation in the United States and Canada.
In 1965 the Voting Rights Act would finally stop a state’s ability to say whether or not Indians were allowed to vote because before the act a lot of the states had found ways to stop Native Americans from voting like requiring them to take extremely complicated literacy tests. Another significant event for Native Americans was March 6, 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11399, one of the most significant pieces of legislation for Native Americans at the time because it created the National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO). Also when the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) was passed in 1968 Native Americans were given even more civil rights that they had previously been denied to them despite what they had endured.
After decades of unequal schooling due to low funds the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed (1969) to fight for equal education for American Indians around the country. Native American activists would strive for media attention and by extension protection as African Americans before them had; they would even eventually create their own media which is still active today. Up to 1935 Native Americans were not even protected under the First Amendment and could be fined or sent to prison for practicing their traditional religious beliefs, these deep offenses would be key to pushing congress to concede land and money to American Indian tribes throughout the 60's and 70's and get the average American behind the idea of American Indians as equals. More recently there has been a lot of debate around the use of American Indian symbols and words for team mascots mostly they are about how the use of them distorts Native American history and culture, as they are often offensive stereotypes, like when "savages" or "Redskins" are used. They have been able to make a lot of noise about how the people that use these names are not doing anything positive for their tribe or people simply by asking them basic questions about Native American history. One of the most prominent organizations that advocate for Native American rights is the American Indian Movement (AIM) which was also formed during the 1960s.
By far one of the most significant displays of American Indian determination is when the Indians of All Tribes (IAT) decided to take Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, saying that they wanted the first thing people to see when they enter the country were the people who first lived their. It was not only the cause of the formation of the American Indian Movement (AIM) but it was also be broadcast around the country telling people hundreds of miles away from the nearest Indian reservation about the crimes committed against American Indians. They would occupy Alcatraz for an amazing nineteen months, from November 20, 1969 all the way to June 11, 1971, and it ends when the FBI took the prison by force. The rationalization behind the occupation was that the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) between the U.S. and the Sioux people said that all abandoned federal land would be returned to the Native people from whom it was 'bought' from. Alcatraz had been closed since March 21, 1963 and been declared as such in 1964, a large number of activists felt the island qualified. The Occupation of Alcatraz was a sign of the new desire among Native Americans for unity and equality in America.
In 1978 the American Indian Movement would lead a spiritual walk across the country to support tribal sovereignty and bring attention to the 11 most significant pieces of anti-Indian legislation; it was called "The Longest Walk". They believed that the proposed legislation would have repeal unjust Indian Treaties limited water rights, and other significant prejudicial laws. The walk began on February 11, 1978 with a ceremony on Alcatraz Island, where a Sacred Pipe was loaded with tobacco and carried the entire distance. The 3,200 mile walk's purpose was to teach people about the U.S. government's continuing threat to American Indians tribal sovereignty; it was able to rally thousands of Native Americans and represent almost every Indian Nation in the United States and Canada.
In 1965 the Voting Rights Act would finally stop a state’s ability to say whether or not Indians were allowed to vote because before the act a lot of the states had found ways to stop Native Americans from voting like requiring them to take extremely complicated literacy tests. Another significant event for Native Americans was March 6, 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson signed Executive Order 11399, one of the most significant pieces of legislation for Native Americans at the time because it created the National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO). Also when the Indian Civil Rights Act (ICRA) was passed in 1968 Native Americans were given even more civil rights that they had previously been denied to them despite what they had endured.