Diverse American History

Native American History

Introduction

The term Native Americans refers specifically to the descendants of people living in what is now the contiguous United States prior to the mass arrival of settlers from other continents. Other terms to refer to Native Americans include American Indian, Indian, Amerindian, Native, and Indigenous. Native Americans have a long historical relationship with the U.S. government, beginning before the American Revolution with the signing of treaties, mostly for trade and friendship, between Native American tribes and European-American colonies. Throughout the track of the era they had been impoverished of much of their territory by obligatory exclusion, by a series of agreement (which were often not honored by the white authorities) and by armed forces trounce by the United States as it extended its power over the West of the US.

Discussion

Native Americans considered most of the resources in their region as sacred, and the earth was also enlisted among their sacred things. Unlike, white settlers, Native Americans do not consider land as anything that could be claimed. However, with the arrival of white settlers in America, perception of Native America changed dramatically (Alvarez & Bachman, 319). The perception of Native Americans was, you a land on which you live. This perception changed to, you own a land only if you buy it. According to the perception of the White settlers, you will be the sole owner till the time you sell the land to some other person. However, due to inception of materialism throughout the world, the perception of white-settlers regarding land is to own it.

However, white settlers as all most of them in the 18th and 19th century are not only willing to own the land throughout the America, but by using “Manifest Destiny” they want to gain control all over America. This also led to several wars between native or indigenous Americans and white settlers also called European Americans. Since now, most of the wars in this world have been fought because of land. The white settlers had ignited the sense of land owning in the Native Americans (Bachman, 286).

Native Americans did not believe in land ownership. They lived within the boundaries of nature. Native Americans disagreed with the pioneer's idea that people could own any portion. Native Americans did not believe in land ownership. They lived within the boundaries of nature. Native Americans disagreed with the pioneer's idea that people could own any portion of the land. They were more in tune with the land and nature than the white intruders (Alvarez & Bachman, 319).

Between 1820 and 1840, approximately 90,000 Native Americans were forcibly removed from their homelands with the Indian Removal Act. In 1824, the U.S. Congress officially formed the Bureau of Indian Affairs (located at the time in the War Department). In 1862, the Homestead Act opened up Indian land in Kansas and Nebraska to homesteaders. As a result, 20 tribes in these states had to be relocated. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the first missionary-operated Indian schools were ...