Civil Rights in the USA : African Americans, Native Americans, Women and Trade Union Revision Notes.
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Topic: The Position of African Americans in 1865 (The Reconstruction Period)
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Civil Rights in the USA (1865-1992):
Native Americans
The Development of Native American (NA) Civil Rights
NA had inhabited America for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans
they were not a homogenous group
o at the start of the 19th C 86 independent tribes had been identified
o generalising them difficult and dangerous
period where tribes cooperated w/ the government while others maintained a consistent
hostility
occasions when some tribes aided the other government against other tribes
only towards the end of the period that there was any evidence of real unity between tribes
o even then some opposed the actions and methods of those leading campaigns for
NA rights
aims of NA and US gov different considerably
o NA
continue their lives according to their tribal customs and laws under their
tribal leaders
wanted the right of self-determination
independence of their own lands
o US Gov
wanted to assimilate the NA into US society
destroy tribal customs and culture
unwilling to accept the idea of ‘nations within’
wanted NA to become self-supporting
o inevitable clash between the 2
o NA resisted the government’s policy of assimilation in its various forms
o gov failed to understand the strength of the spiritual and cultural legacy of the NA
which could not be easily destroyed
the largest concentration of NA was the Great Plains – Plains Indians
o nomadic tribes following the buffalo herds on which the they depended for
everything
white explorers had first come into contact w/ NA in this area in the early 19 th C
o noted the region was capable of sustaining civilised life
o NA initially left alone
o they were free to continue their contrasting lifestyle
worshipped nature, nomadic
own languages, culture culture/ceremonies, tribal laws/ governments
o by 1865 this was under threat
Page 1 of 20
Civil Rights in the USA – Native Americans
,Westward Expansion
the main reason why the position of NA was under threat by 1865 was westward expansion
US gov encouraged settlers to move west to open up the rest of the continent for the
growing population and the belief in Manifest Destiny (god given right to settle all over the
continent)
NA gradually driven out of their traditional lands
1830 Removal Act
o saw tribes move from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia
on to the Great Plains in Oklahoma
o designed as Indian territory
this process continued In the 1840s
o trails or tracks originally used by fur trappers or mineral prospectors earlier in the
century provided routes to the West and encouraged settlers to move to the fertile
of Oregon and California
o westward movement further encouraged by the discovery of gold and minerals in
the region
o new settlers displaced tribes already in those areas
many of these NA were fishers and if they stayed they were deprived of their fishing rights
o if they moved inland to the Palins they could no longer continue their traditional
practices
o died out
westward expansion took settlers beyond the Appalachian Mountains
o acted as natural frontier/barrier between settlers & NA on the Great Plains
unable to resists these advances a number of tribes had begun to hand over land to the US
gov
massive impact on lifestyle
o affected ability to follow buffalo herds
o gov promises to ensure NA were fed not always kept
even greater problem during Civil war as gov had greater concerns
as a result NA rose up against the gov and resulted in a series of wars from 1863-8 – The
Plain wars
o driven by hunger
o 1852 Little Crow’s War against Sioux
o 1863 Cheyenne uprising
o 1867 Red Cloud’s War against Sioux
o 1868 Winter Campaign against the Cheyenne
Civil war added to these problems
o gov removed troops stationed on the Plains
NA traded w/ them
replaced by poorly disciplined, unsympathetic volunteers
Page 2 of 20
Civil Rights in the USA – Native Americans
, resulted in violence
o Sand Creek Massacre 1864
attack by Us cavalry on undefended Cheyenne camp
most serious incident
o Wounded Knee 1890
cavalry killed over 100 NA men, women and children
government determined to control the land in the West
o created federal territories governed by officials
o aim was to populate the region w/ small scale farmers
o Homesteads Act 1862
encouraged more westward movement
gave farmers 160 acre plot if they farmed it for 5 years
20,000 settled on the Plains by 1865
adverse consequence on NA
The Railways
final impact of westward expansion was the development of the railways
some of the lines crossed the Plains
rail companies encouraged settlers to come and live of the land they had been given by the
government
rail lines disrupted buffalo herds and brought white people to hunt them
o added to the dramatic fall in buffalo numbers
o large impact of NA
as NA position deteriorating they signed number of treaties w/ gov and handed over much
of their land
o 1851 – Fort Laramie Treaty
o 1861 – Fort Wise Treaty
o 1867 – Medicine Lodge Treaty
o 1868 – Fort Laramie Treaty
promises of support and aid from the federal government did not always materialise
o especially during the civil war
much of the NA declined through starvation
those who survived suffered poverty
even before 1865 the culture and way of life of NA was under threat as result of
government policy
The Position of NA before WW1
federal government’s aim to assimilate made clear through 1877 report by agent of the
Yankton Sioux
meant the government had to destroy the tribal lifestyle and bonds of the NA
the policies to achieve this aim changed over the period but the aim was constant
o education
o conversion to Christianity
o turning NA to farmers
Page 3 of 20
Civil Rights in the USA – Native Americans
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