Historical Report on Race and Legislation - Essay Example

Notably, the Native Americans have diverse experiences in the U.S history. Indeed, they were the first group of people to face subordination from the Europeans. Ideally, the Native Americans and the immigrant Europeans had different cultures and alliance that generated social injustices, ethnic violence, and political tension and economic challenges (Flavin, n.y). Indeed, the Native Americans experienced a lot of discrimination and oppression due to their race and ethnic orientation. More so, the federal government demeaned the Native tribal alliances using acts of parliament starting with the Allotment Act of 1887.

Indeed, even the acts that sought to strengthen Native tribal affiliations encouraged the Native Americans to neglect their culture and adopt the White Americans way of living (Schaefer, 2012). As such, the settlers consistently misunderstood and oppressed the Native Americans for many years. Economically, the Native Americans were hunters and gatherers who used oral tradition to tell their history. In their culture, the women had the responsibility of cultivating various foods that included maize, corn, and beans on behalf of the family.

Since, Native Americans comprised of various tribes, they consequently derived distinct cultures like the Maya and Aztec cultures (Schaefer, 2012). They equally had tribal warfare, which seemingly weakened their resistance against the white Americans. Furthermore, the federal government had a unique way of dealing with the Native Americans, which included the limitation to claiming any right against the federal government in absence of a special act of Congress. Indeed, this lasted between 1863 and 1946 (Schaefer, 2012).

Notably this limitation discriminated against the Native Americans and manifested a mistreatment against a minority group in the US. However, the Native Americans vehemently resisted these mistreatments (Flavin, n.y) and united across tribal lines and through reservation government actions. Nevertheless, the federal government was also persistent in asserting the rights and privileges of the majority in US. Actually, this continued up to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when the federal government sought to replace the Native American cultures with the White American manners of life.

This has led to continued resistance from the Native Americans and a unity of purpose as they fight for their rights (Oberg, 2010). On the other hand, the Native Americans live a simple life full of hardships and manifest poverty. Indeed, the Native Americans cannot afford most human needs and face many challenges in solving their social problems. In fact, it is notable that there is a huge challenge for Native Americans to access education or establish a stable economic background. As such, the native students feel isolated as they face discrimination in the acquisition of higher education.

The Native Americans could also not afford quality healthcare and hence they are prone to poor health effects. In addition, the Native Americans adopt various religious beliefs that depict their tribal orientations. However, they abhor diverse spirituality and value their cultures greatly. As such, subject to these experiences, the Native Americans faced the challenge of maintaining their indigenous identity or giving in to European pressure that favored the White Americans (Oberg, 2010). Notable, there have been legislations that sought to constrain race within prejudicial boundaries like