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Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to bring attention to the negative impact that White Supremacy has had and continues to have on Native Americans.
Native Americans continue to be decimated due to the long lasting effects of White Supremacy, however, the racism is not recognized because of the dwindling aboriginal population. The Native American genocide, the worst human massacre the world had ever witnessed. When searching for the definition of the word, genocide, it is stated as the deliberate killing of a large group of people, specifically those of a particular ethnic group. Which is the case with the mass execution of the Native Americans, who were targeted by the European colonists. The genocide prospered for four centuries,
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taking along the lives of millions. It would be easy to say the genocide was fueled by hate, but it is so much more complex than that. As Europeans saw themselves as the superior culture, they deemed it their responsibility to ‘civilize’ what they deemed an inferior culture. It is important to be reminded that the natives were intelligent individuals who had found ways to survive and thrive in deserts, forests, along oceans, and on grassy prairies. They had created empires, structures, traditions, everything a civilized society would have. The same people the Europeans called savages, and uncivilized came from ancient adventurers who journeyed from Asia on foot or by boat, to spread out over the entire continent. Instead of being civil and attempt to co-exist with the Natives, the early colonizers, slaughtered villages, spread diseases most were not immune to and enslaved them. Many believe that the racism against Natives has ended, but do not realize America has left them with huge disadvantages. In what ways has the genocide of Native Americans attributed to White Supremacy, and long lasting racism against indigenous people? To this day, the aboriginal populations face numerous difficulties by cause of the disadvantages history has left them. White Supremacy and Attempt of Erasure The idea of the White race being the most impeccable can be seen in the laws set by early Americans. Such as the Racial Integrity act of 1924, which criminalized interracial marriage and required that every birth in the state be recorded by race with the only options being “White” and “Colored.” The fact that White people had their own category, while people of color were all bunched into one group, shows the spreading of the idea that being White was to be superior. This idea of just categorizing all people of color into one group dehumanizes all of them, especially Native Americans as they were already deemed as less of a person through racist ideals. In the case of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia, who are attempting to become the state’s first federally recognized tribe, are threatened by the legacy of laws imposed by Walter Plecker. “Though he died in 1947, Plecker’s shadow still lingers over the state, a vestige of a vicious era when racist practices were an integral part of government policy and Virginia officials ruthlessly enforced laws created to protect what they considered a master white race” (Heim). Walter Plecker, embodied the White Supremacist attitude, and was allied with the Anglo-Saxon Club of America in persuading the Virginia General Assembly to pass the Racial Integrity Law of 1924. By supporting this he was attempting to erase any acknowledgement of Native Americans. Natives were not allowed to give their children traditional names, or celebrate their culture. Even though it seems like what Plecker did was such a long time ago, many Natives believe he has still achieved his goal of erasing their existence, as Virginia tribes are not federally recognized. For years White Supremacists have attempted to erase the existence of Native Americans. The phrase, “Kill the Indian, save the man,” was coined by Richard Henry Pratt, founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Pratt’s school aimed to prepare Native children for full assimilation in American culture, by erasing their Indian identity. As soon as children arrived at the school, those who had long hair were forced to cut it. To some it may not seem harsh to cut their hair, but to most Native Americans the cutting of hair by oppressors represents the submission and defeat of the people, through humiliation. To many their hair held significance, the way one combed their hair showed their alignment of thought. Braiding showed the oneness of thought, and tying it showed the securing of the thought. Different styles signified the tribe one belonged to, and were even worn to indicate times of peace or war, so to strip that of them held much more significance than one would ever think. Not only did White Supremacists murder millions of Native Americans, they continued their attempts to erase their existence, by forcing them to assimilate, all the while they made them live as second class citizens. Thus showing how the White majority organized society by using the law, and social customs to maintain power over other racial groups. Genocide There is a lot of controversy over whether the killing of millions of Native Americans can be considered genocide.
Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. Upon arriving, the colonizers felt threatened by being the minority in the newly found land, and viewed the Natives as an enemy as they were the current majority. The European conquerors did not intend on coexisting with the current residents, and planned to kill the tribes that they deemed the most dangerous. At the time Europeans migrated to the United States, it is estimated that there were at least 10 million Native Americans living in what is now the United States, now there are only 5 million around. By introducing new diseases, which the colonists may have not been aware about, they killed thousands of natives. In many cases tribes went extinct, due to the fact that many were incapacitated by the diseases. Although many will argue that the Europeans could not control the spreading of disease to the Natives, there is evidence showing that once they knew the Natives were not immune to the pathogens, they used them to their advantage. In a quote written by Sir Jeffrey Amherst, who was a commander in the British forces of North America, he shows how the colonists used their knowledge of the diseases to their favor,“You will do well to try to inoculate the Indians [with smallpox] by means of blankets, as well as to try every other method, that can serve to extirpate this execrable race.” Many consider that those who died of introduced disease were as much the victims of genocide as those who were burned, stabbed or shot, in other well recognized
genocides. The European colonists continued to drive down the Native population, through small battles, and forced labor systems. They began to systematically oppress the Natives, many leaders encouraged the killings of Native Americans. In the website, United to End Genocide, they gave an example of colonists being encouraged to kill. “Colonists paid for each Penobscot Native they killed – fifty pounds for adult male scalps, twenty-five for adult female scalps, and twenty for scalps of boys and girls under age twelve.” One major indicator of genocidal acts is the intent to kill, and exterminate the targeted group. The colonists made themselves the masters of the land and people by using force. They changed laws and forced their religion upon the Natives, so they could thrive on this land that had been occupied for years by others. Native Lands/Reservations Taken It has been seen as necessary to help targeted groups of genocide with reparations, and even giving them money as a means of apology. Native lands have been stolen, and the indigenous people have been pushed out of their homes, into lands not suitable for living. During the California Gold Rush many miners came together with the purpose of killing the Natives. The people who came in search for gold, held no regards for the Native’s land, many of the toxic chemicals ruined traditional Native hunting and agricultural practices. The slow destruction of these sacred lands, threw many tribe members out of balance. There are numerous historical examples showing where Native Americans are pushed out of lands they have built their lives upon and successfully maintained, by greedy White settlers. One of them being the Indian Removal Act of 1830, where Andrew Jackson forcibly relocated tribes into unsettled lands West of Mississippi while giving up their lands east of the Mississippi river. Showing institutionalized racism, in the way where the government was working on behalf of white settlers who wanted to grow cotton on the Native’s land (History). The only reason this act was allowed to be passed, is because of the belief of White superiority, where they believed the Natives were just an obstacle in lands they wanted to occupy as they firmly believed they rightfully belonged to them. The white settlers had no regards for how civilized and willing to coexist the Natives were, as they were blinded with the possibility to become wealthy with the help of the prosperous lands. Natives were systematically oppressed, as states began to pass laws limiting the power and rights Native Americans had over their lands. While Natives were promised the land they were being relocated it would be unmolested, the government failed to keep their promise to the tribes. Natives who were relocated to Oklahoma, were then pushed out again years later in 1907, when their land became a state as White settlers decided they wanted that land as well (History). Unfortunately, there are still examples of Americans attempting to steal indigenous lands, and using them for their own profit. Currently members of the San Carlos Apache tribe are fighting to preserve sacred sites in Arizona after lawmakers slipped a clause into the National Defense Authorization Act, that would allow copper mining in the area (Allen). It is unfair for modern day tribes to be fighting to preserve lands that they inherently deserve and own. After all the damage and pain that has been inflicted on the Natives, it is reasonable for them to demand reparations from America.
“Settler colonialism and the elimination of the native” by Patrick Wolfe In this reading the author argues that genocide and the elimination of the American Native population through colonial settlement are inextricably linked, though are not always the same. Also,during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, Indian tribes located in the Southeast United States were forcibly removed from their homes and ordered to relocate to the
In The White Man’s Indian, Robert Berkhoffer analyzes how Native Americans have maintained a negative stereotype because of Whites. As a matter of fact, this book examines the evolution of Native Americans throughout American history by explaining the origin of the Indian stereotype, the change from religious justification to scientific racism to a modern anthropological viewpoint of Native Americans, the White portrayal of Native Americans through art, and the policies enacted to keep Native Americans as Whites perceive them to be. In the hope that Native Americans will be able to overcome how Whites have portrayed them, Berkhoffer is presenting
From as early as the time of the early European settlers, Native Americans have suffered
Some consequences of the exchange are the spread of disease to the Native people and settlers, the destruction of the Native population, and the disappearance of the Natives custom’s, beliefs, and way of life. Columbus’s arrival to the Americas, land that had already been established by the Natives, resulted in a spread of fatal diseases. Disagreement between the Europeans and the Natives and the enslavement of Native people helped to wipe out the population. Document 5 illustrates the fighting that occurred between the Natives and Europeans.
Talking Back to Civilization: Indian Voices from the Progressive Era edited by Frederick E. Hoxie is a book which begins with an introduction into the life of Charles Eastman and a brief overview of the history of Native Americans and their fight for justice and equal rights, it then continues by describing the different ways and avenues of speaking for Indian rights and what the activists did. This leads logically into the primary sources which “talk back” to the society which had overrun their own. The primary sources immerse the reader into another way of thinking and cause them to realize what our societal growth and even foundation has caused to those who were the true natives. The primary sources also expand on the main themes of the book which are outlines in the introduction. They are first and most importantly talking back to the “pale faces”, Indian education, religion, American Indian policy, the image of the Indians presented in America. The other chapters in the book further expanded on these ideas. These themes will be further discussed in the following chapters along with a review of this
The Native Americans were the earliest and only settlers in the North American continents for more than thousands of years. Like their European counterparts, the English colonists justified the taking of their territories was because the natives were not entitled to the land because they lacked a work ethic in which shows that the colonists did not understand the Native Americans system of work and ownership of property. They believed the “Indians seemed to lack everything the English identified as civilized” (Takaki, Pg. 33). Because the settlers were living far away from civilizations, to ensure that they were civilized people, the settlers had negative images of the Native Americans so that they would not be influenced and live like the how the natives do, ensuring that these groups are savages who are uncivilized. Many began to believe this was God’s plans for them to civilize the country in which many would push westward and drive the Indians out to promote civilization and progress. While the United States was still in its early stages of development,
In Thomas King’s novel, The Inconvenient Indian, the story of North America’s history is discussed from his original viewpoint and perspective. In his first chapter, “Forgetting Columbus,” he voices his opinion about how he feel towards the way white people have told America’s history and portraying it as an adventurous tale of triumph, strength and freedom. King hunts down the evidence needed to reveal more facts on the controversial relationship between the whites and natives and how it has affected the culture of Americans. Mainly untangling the confusion between the idea of Native Americans being savages and whites constantly reigning in glory. He exposes the truth about how Native Americans were treated and how their actual stories were
Native American’s place in United States history is not as simple as the story of innocent peace loving people forced off their lands by racist white Americans in a never-ending quest to quench their thirst for more land. Accordingly, attempts to simplify the indigenous experience to nothing more than victims of white aggression during the colonial period, and beyond, does an injustice to Native American history. As a result, historians hoping to shed light on the true history of native people during this period have brought new perceptive to the role Indians played in their own history. Consequently, the theme of power and whom controlled it over the course of Native American/European contact is being presented in new ways. Examining the evolving
Author and Indian Activist, Vine Deloria makes compelling statements in chapters one and five of his Indiana Manifesto, “Custer Died for Your Sins.” Although published in 1969 this work lays important historic ground work for understanding the plight of the Indian in the United States. Written during the turbulent civil rights movement, Deloria makes interesting comparisons to the Black struggle for equal rights in the United States. He condemns the contemporary views toward Indians widely help by Whites and argues that Indians are wrongly seen through the historic lens of a pipe smoking, bow and arrow wielding savage. Deloria forcefully views the oppressors and conquerors of the Indian mainly as the United States federal government and Christian missionaries. The author’s overall thesis is that Whites view Indians the way they want to see them which is not based in reality. The resulting behavior of Whites towards Indians shows its affects in the false perception in law and culture.
Dating back to the first occurrence of European colonization in the New World, Europeans have advanced their agenda of territorial expansion through the conquering of indigenous peoples. Clashes of culture brought forth a series of conflicts between Native Americans and European settlers that centered around differing religious beliefs and land ideologies. A tidal wave of new diseases also severely weakened the Native American population across the continent, leaving them vulnerable to the increased influx of European settlements. Over the span of 500 years, European impact would eradicate an estimated 60 million Native Americans ("Native North Americans”).
In our current generation, the year 2016, one may think racism would be diminished but it has yet to be acknowledged. Most people would have thought discrimination ended with the time of slavery, but it continues to exist in indirect ways. When people think Native Americans, they think about how they were the true Americans and how they aided Columbus’s settlement into the Early Americas. Native Americans experience discrimination to this day, yet nothing has been said about the Indian’s existence and rights. In Kimberly Roppolo’s essay, “Symbolism, Racism, History, and Reality: The Real Problem with Indian Mascots,” constructs the reason and gives us an idea on why this type of racism still exists and why people continue to unknowingly discriminate
Genocide refers to the killing of large groups of people, especially among ethnic groups. Throughout the book, Stannard refers to genocide as a holocaust because throughout the history of the United States many ethnic groups were being killed and mistreated. A holocaust is described as a destruction caused by fire and nuclear war. In this case, the American holocaust occurred when Christopher Columbus and many Europeans began to kill Indians because their objective was to take the power of gold. According to Howard Zinn, author of the book “A people’s History of the United States” many Arawak men, children, and women were put on ships and were forced into labor. The Arawak began to form an army and defeat the Spaniards. In his book, Zinn describes the poor treatment that the Arawak were facing. Zinn states that “When it became clear that there was no gold left, the Indians were taken as slave labor” (Zinn Chapter 1). The Europeans, Spanish, French, British, and Americans each committed genocide by killing and mistreating the Indians who formed part of the land. Stannard describes what each group treated this minority group and why it was considered genocide. In his book, Stannard quotes Bartolome de las Casas who talks about the treatment. De las Casas says
This triggered the largest population decline in all recorded history. Fifty percent of the Native American population had died of disease within twenty years. Soon after, Native Americans began to question their religion and doubted the ability of the shaman to heal. This was the first step towards the destruction of Native cultures. The Native Americans had never experienced anything like these deadly diseases before, and they came to believe that Europeans had the power to kill or give life.
All men are created equal (Declaration of Independence). Yet, the Native Americans continue their fight for decades since colonization. There is a constant struggle to urge for equality from William Apess in his 1833 essay, An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man. In modern day, the fight continues after his lifetime. Equality and freedom is the goal for most Native Americans. Although securing the rights of the Native Americans are progressing, it is slow. Therefore, the inequality continues at a faster pace, as opposed to major changes that would impact the Native Americans positively. Throughout history, they are exploited for their land and natural resources and severely underfunded. As a matter of fact, the common theme seems to be that the Native Americans are continuously suppressed by the “superior race”, which showcases the prevalent thoughts in America. William Apess and
Contrary to popular belief, discrimination of Native Americans in America still widely exist in the 21st century! So you may ask, why? Well, to answer that one question, I will give you 3 of the countless reasons why this unfortunate group of people are punished so harshly for little good reason. So now, let’s get into it, shall we!