Native Americans and Red Power Evidence

Question 1

Evidence supporting political progress for NAs in RP. 3 main points.

Answer 1

-The occupation of Alcatraz Island (1969-71) brought unprecedented national attention to Native American rights issues.
- The American Indian Movement (AIM), founded in 1968, successfully advocated for numerous policy changes
and raised awareness of treaty violations.
- The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 gave tribes greater control over federal programs affecting their communities.

Question 2

Evidence supporting social progress for NAs in the RP era. 3 main points.

Answer 2

• Native American studies programs were established at major universities, with their number increasing from
  virtually none in 1960 to over 100 by 1980.
• Cultural revitalisation movements strengthened, with a 70% increase in self-identified Native Americans between the 1970 and 1980 censuses.
• The Indian Education Act of 1972 provided funding for culturally relevant educational materials and programs
  controlled by Native Americans.

Question 3

Evidence for economic progress in the RP era for NAs. 3 main points

Answer 3

• Several major land claim settlements occurred, including the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971,
  which returned 44 million acres and provided $962 million in compensation.
• Federal funding for Native American programs increased substantially, from approximately $200 million in 1968 to over $1 billion by 1980.
• The Indian Financing Act of 1974 established a $50 million loan fund for economic development.

Question 4

Evidence AGAINST political progress by NAs in the RP era. 3 main points

Answer 4

• Government response to Native American activism was often hostile, including the 1973 siege at Wounded
  Knee where federal forces surrounded AIM protesters for 71 days.
• The FBI’s COINTELPRO program specifically targeted AIM leaders with surveillance, infiltration, and legal
  harassment.
• Many treaty obligations remained unfulfilled despite increased activism and awareness.

Question 5

Evidence AGAINST social progress by NAs in the RP era. 3 main points

Answer 5

• Urban relocation programs continued, with approximately 100,000 Native Americans relocated to cities between 1960-1970, often facing discrimination and cultural isolation.
• The sterilization of Native American women without informed consent occurred at alarming rates—approximately 25-50% of Native American women of childbearing age were sterilized between 1970- 1976 according to a 1976 GAO report.
• Despite educational gains, high school graduation rates for Native Americans remained at approximately 55% compared to 83% for white Americans in 1980.

Question 6

Evidence AGAINST economic progress for NAs in the RP era. 3 main points

Answer 6

• Unemployment on reservations averaged 40-50% throughout the period, eight to ten times the national average.
• Approximately 40% of reservation households lived below the poverty line in 1980, compared to 12% nationally.
• Energy resource extraction on Native lands often benefited corporations more than tribes—for example, Navajo and Hopi communities received only 3-8% of market value for coal mined on their lands in the 1970s.