legislation Flashcards
(10 cards)
how did Jackson argue that the Indian Removal Act was beneficial to the Native Americans?
significance?
1) they would be far away from liquor sellers and dishonest tradesmen
2) the land in the west would be their forever
3) the government would provide financial aid to facilitate the move
Jackson was a slave-owning racist, did not have the Native Americans’ best interests in mind, they were being sent to the west because it was seen as inhabitable so the settlers had no use for it yet…
how many treaties were signed under the Indian Removal Act?
significance?
94
large number of Native Americans moved due to the Indian Removal Act, these treaties were most likely all broken by the end of the century
how had the Cherokees become assimilated?
significance?
by adopting European dress and written language
Cherokees were still victims of the Indian Removal Act, it was not for their own good or to civilise them, pure racism and white superiority
how many Native Americans died on the Trail of Tears?
significance?
4,000
this was the forceful movement of the rest of the Cherokees, who had previously lawfully won the right to remain
what was the Bureau of Indian Affairs?
significance?
established in 1824 by John Calhoun, who was the secretary of war, to manage, treaties, education and trade with the tribes
would later be vital in the assimilation of the Native Americans
when did reservation policy really start to become significant?
significance?
1851, with the Indian Appropriations Act
was the best way to bring about assimilation because they would be divided and weaker, they were still able to take part in smaller tribal practices
what was the second Indian Appropriations Act?
significance
tribes were no longer recognised as independent and were now wards of the state
tribes no longer could be consulted about border agreements, e.g the Great Sioux Reserve, but treaties would have most likely been broken anyways
give one way the US attempted to assimilate the Native American population long term?
significance?
taking Native American children and putting them into boarding schools to Americanise them
there was no step after this, many went back to their tribes after, but were looked at as untrustworthy due to their assimilation, breaking Native American society
what was established as part of Grant’s 1869 Peace Policy?
significance?
the Board of Indian Commissioners
no use as the Native Americans were not receiving the provisions they were promised, they had to venture out of their reservations to hunt food and the govt struggled to prevent American settlers from going into reservations, failure proven by the Great Sioux War
what did the 1887 Dawes Act do?
significance?
split reservation land into allotments which were given to individual Native Americans, making them American citizens after 25 years
completely destroyed tribal culture, 160 acres was not enough to sustain a farm, many ended up having to sell the land as they did not have any agricultural knowledge, also not knowing how to manage money, would fall into debt, but some refused the offer from the start
