1900 - 45 Into the melting pot

Question 1

What was the melting pot?

Answer 1

• The term became popular after the 1908 play called the Melting Pot which was written by Israel Zangwill
• Which was a reflection of the challenge to the American government attempt to assimilate so many people for different parts of the world who spoke so many different languages and with different cultures all into one American culture
• It symbolised the idea that American was a place where diverse groups melted into one common culture, an American one

Question 2

What was Lone Wolf v Hitchcock and its significance?

Answer 2

• Lone Wolf v Hitchcock of 1903, which was a supreme court supporting the US government revoking all treaties made with the NA tribe and this had a negative impact on NA sovereignty
• Lone Wolf was a tribal chief who sued the US government for illegally taking land in violation of the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaty which required tribal consent for land sales
• Lastly when making this judgement the Supreme Court described the NA as an ignorant and dependent race who were not citizens of the nation and therefore had no rights
• It legitimized the federal government breaking treaties, setting a precedent that treaties with Native nations could be ignored at will

Question 3

What was the SAI?

Answer 3

• The Society of American Indians
• Formed in 1911, by 50 educated American Indian men and women
• This was the first attempt at establishing an inter tribal pressure group
• Campaigned for improvement in education and better health care
• They rejected the widespread idea that assimilation into white culture was the only path forward
• through speeches and public events they pushed back at the harmful stereotypes and promoted NA voices
• However their impact was limited partly because of a shortage of funds to challenge discrimination in the courts and partly because of the lack of mass support from the Indians themselves and by the 1920s it collapsed

Question 4

What was the impact of Native American involvement in World War 1?

Answer 4

• Around 10,000 Native American men fought in the War
• They gained recognition by the government for their bravery
• Unlike AA they were not segregated in separate units so they had the opportunity to integrate with white Americans
• The government also sponsored some Indian families to move away from the reservations in defense industries
• Some Indian women had even gone to work in factories to replace the men that had gone to war
• Their involvement and loyalty in the War led to the passage of the citizenship act of 1924
• However many retuned, to find that their lands had been further stolen under the Dawes act and NA veterans were not given the same benefits and honors as white soldiers

Question 5

What was the Indian Citizenship act?

Answer 5

• In 1924, the Indian Citizenship act granted US citizenship to all NA born in the US
• by 1924, almost 2/3 of the Indian population had the right to vote meaning they could elect people to represent them and advocate for them
• Whilst others believe it was another strategy of the governments relentless drive for total assimilation and a way to pressure NA to abandon their tribal identities due to this some NA leaders opposed the act
• The act did not necessarily guarantee the right to vote, as many states resisted the extension of the franchise to NA
• However some states such as Arizona blocked NA from voting using things such as Literacy tests
• And the act did not recognise or protect tribal governments or rights

Question 6

What was Harrison v Laveen ?

Answer 6

• A landmark court case in Arizona that dealt with NA voting rights
• Frank Harrison, was a member of the Mohawk-Apache Indian tribe
• he attempted to register to vote in Arizona but they were denied by Laveen, the county recorder who claimed that they were under federal guardianship as NA living in reservations, and thus were ineligible to vote under state law
• The supreme court however ruled in favor of Harrison and identified that NA were citizens under the 14th amendment and Indian Citizenship act
• And that living on reservations did not disqualify them from voting

Question 7

What was AIDA?

Answer 7

• The American Indian Defense Association was formed in 1923 by John Collier
• It was created to protect NA rights to their land, their beliefs and traditions

Question 8

What was the Meriam Report?

Answer 8

• Was published in 1928 and was a major turning point in US policy towards NA
• It was a federal study of the conditions that the NA were facing, especially under policies such as the Dawes act which reduced NA land that they owned
• Carried out by Lewis Meriam
• it described the dreadful conditions in the reservations that the NA were forced to live in, and explained how NA were deprived of their basic needs such as education and healthcare
• The report claimed that the Indians were the most impoverished people in the US
• Also found that the policy of forced assimilation had robbed NA of their self esteem and had destroyed families
• However it had limited impact because the report was just advisory and was not a law so it lacked enforcement power meaning that Congress and the government were not obliged to act on its findings
• And it was written by non NA and had little input and say from NA leaders of communities , so it meant it reflected the outside interpretations of what was best for people

Question 9

How did the Meriam report have a positive impact?

Answer 9

• As Hoover supported the recommendations of the Meriam Report, he appointed a new Indian commissioner , Charles Rhoads, to put together a reform package along the lines of the ones mentioned in the report such as improved reservation schools and improved medical facilities which was provided by Federal Funding

Question 10

How was Roosevelts New deal a turning point for Native Americans?

Answer 10

• The Indian Reorganisation Act ( Wheeler-Howard Act 1934) , this act intended to recognise and preserve the traditional culture of Indian tribes , and it also ended federal policies aimed at assimilation
• Their rights to practice their own religion and to assert their own cultural identity was also protected
• For example the act overthrew a law of 1883 that banned ceremonial dances and celebrations
• The act also stopped the allotment policy from the Dawes act, and it provided funds for tribal economic development and helped some tribes recover the land that they had lost
• However Tribes could vote to reject the IRA and 1/3 of them did in fact do this because they feared the government and did not trust them

Question 11

How did Collier improve quality of life for NA ?

Answer 11

• He was able to return some of their lost rights of self determination
• Did this by
• Tapping into the resources available through other New deal agencies to build hospitals and schools
• NA women were encouraged to aspire to higher education. Gladys Tantaquidgeon, for example studied anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania

Question 12

What was the Indian New Deal?

Answer 12

• A series of reforms introduced during the New deal aimed at specifically improving the lives of NA
• Was aimed around the IRA

Question 13

How was WW2 a turning point for NA??

Answer 13

• During this period around 100,000 Indians left their reservations. 25,000 of these served with distinction in the armed forces, and 75,000 moved into urban areas to work in the defence industry
• For some NA it would be their first experience of living and working outside their NA world
• Many NA got their first industrial jobs during the war in cities and defense industries, and some tribes benefited economically from wartime projects such as roads and schools and hospitals built on reservations
• However after the war, returning NA soldiers were forced due to discrimination to return to their reservations and they were not allowed to take advantage of the educational opportunities offered to white American veterans

Question 14

What was the NCAI and what did it do for NA rights?

Answer 14

• The National Congress of American Indians was founded in 1944
• And was a outcome of WW2
• It was set up to end reservations and absorb NA into American society
• Helped to defend tribal sovereignty by fighting against termination and assimilation policies in Congress
• However it faced strong resistance from the US government