United States and Native American Relations - Essay Example

The US government offered security to the settlers, who quickly established homes in the midst of native tribes. This brought in disagreements since white settlers had a negative attitude towards native tribes and had to react.

White settlers viewed the Indian style of living as poor. They wanted them to follow their lifestyles. This ranged from trying to convert them to Christianity, to teaching them to speak English. Whites viewed them as people with a very low sense of intelligence judging from the way they built their houses (Roark 64). The government, which favored the white settlers took it as a favor granted unto the natives. However, it all leads to continuous attacks, disagreements, and violence. In 1868, the Fort Laramie Treaty had to be signed in order to bring peace between the United States Government and the American Native tribes. This was after white settlers claimed that American Indians attacked them, even when they helped out by acting as tour guides and offering visitors food and shelter.

Both the white settlers and the US government were irrational. All they cared about was getting access to the fertile land while ignoring the natives. The US government dishonored the signed treaties. The Dawes Act, of 1887 was used as a strategy to eliminate tribal ownership of land and divide up tribes into single entities. Through this Act, the US Federal government was able to repossess the land and in turn sold it off to white settlers and railway constructors. Due to such disorientation, groups like the Mescalero Indians took refuge in Mexico. The Navajos were persistent because they valued their land, customs, and beliefs. However, their resistance proved fatal when the US military applied the scorched earth policy.

Conclusion

The Native Americans had lots of problems with both the white settlers and the US government. This is because the government was in collaboration with settlers. They ignored the local minority tribes. Instead, they used them as slaves in the construction of railway lines and serving as scouts.