Native Americans and U.S & British Government Policies - Assignment Example

 Native Americans and U.S & British Government Policies A look at United States and Britain’s policies for the minority groups, many years ago, shows that there was a lot to do to improve them. At a time when most of European’s patriarchal culture was different from that of the Native Americans, it is not hard to imagine the kind of government policies towards Native Americans that were in existence. There were several government policies in the U.S and Britain that were aimed at assimilating the Native American people into what the settlers believed to be the mainstream society.1 Though a look at these policies from a modern perspective paints a racist and patronizing picture, the settlers that dominated the society thought of it as a civilized mission. Most believed that it was a guide towards Christian civilization which could not be compared to the work of missionaries in Africa. It was during the American Revolution that Britain and United States competed to gain the Native American lands. After the civil war, the British yielded the Native American lands to the U.S.2 This is how the British government policy for Native Americans changed and evolved to accommodate the United States policies towards Native Americans. Analysis and Explanation of the phases of policies a) British policies towards Native Americans, pre-1776 In the year 1750s, there was a North American conflict which was a part of a larger, seven-year imperial war that existed between France and Great Britain. This was also the same time that the French and the Native Americans were also at war. Nonetheless, after years of war, Britain emerged as the champion and this meant that there were new territories to acquire. These were lands located in the West of the Appalachian Mountains in America. Nonetheless there were other colonialists who wanted the same lands so they waited for the time when Britain was not strong enough to acquire new territories. Therefore, this gave rise to conflicts as each colony wanted its share. Britain did not want to go to war with the other colonialists and had to issue its first policy. This is when the Proclamation Act of 1763, became public after Britain issued it as a way of ending any settlements of its troops past the mountains.3 The proclamation act also ensured that there were troops at the frontier to separate two rival groups. The lands that were beyond the mountains were out of reach for all colonialists. This was Britain’s way of showing its concern for peace between it and Native Americans, but to colonialists it. In 1764, Britain’s parliament enacted the Sugar Act of 1764, after a tax was imposed on colonialists as a way of relieving economic burdens that it was facing. Foreign imports of molasses and sugar were all taxed. Such a move also made it easier to eradicate the use of Native Americans by colonialists as slaves in sugar plantations.4 There was still a lot of smuggling in colonies proving that the policy was not effective. Hence, the parliament came with another policy. This was the Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed documents. These were documents such a diplomas and newspapers. The attempts that Britain made to promote peace between Native Americans and all colonialists were fruitless.5 Most colonialists became resentful towards Britain, because it imposed taxes and limited their western expansion. The increasing disputes between Britain and other colonialists led to war which promoted the American Revolution. b) The U.S. 'right of conquest' policy of the 1780s/90s In 1783, there was a treaty of Paris. This was a treaty that was signed in Paris between America and Great Britain as a way of recognizing the American independence. Hence, the treaty ended the American Revolution as Britain had ceded all its North American territories which were located in Canada and others around the Mississippi River. The agreements that existed between the British and the Native Americans were all voided and United States claimed all the lands that were located to the east of the River by “right of conquest”. America believed that after gaining its independence it had the right to spread to other parts and possess the whole continent. Hence, the right of conquest policy was debated by all and publicized in newspapers. Most American citizens believed they had the natural right to spread as part of their freedom.6 Nonetheless, most believed that this freedom was only meant for those who were capable of self-governing themselves and all minorities such as Native Americans, among others were not included. This was a policy intended to bring freedom and wealth to American citizens, but it only contributed to too many problems for the minorities such as Native Americans, African Americans and Mexicans because most lost their lives and property as a result of American citizens expanding to their lands based on the right of conquest policy. The policy only led to minority groups rebelling and fighting against the American government. 1. The U.S. 'civilization program' of the early 1800s The desire to acquire more land in America increased the problems between the Native Americans and white American settlers.7 The President of United states at the time, Thomas Jefferson promoted the introduction of a policy that would guarantee the security of the state and bind the Native Americans to the state.8 It was President Jefferson’s wish for his agents not to force the Native Americans to sell their land. Hence, the President suggested that if the Native Americans would be encouraged to make purchases of gods on credit, they would perhaps fall into debt and relieve themselves by selling their land. Perhaps this does not strike to modern Americans as the best way to treat people, but this is how the civilization programs emerged because it aided in furthering the interests of the White settlers and causing less friction between them and the Native Americans.9 Native Americans were divided when it came to accepting the civilization program. There are those who were unconvinced of the program and had anti-white resistance movements. Resistance from some of the southern tribes of Native Americans meant that this policy was not effective, hence the need for another policy. c) The U.S. Indian Removal program of the 1830s Since most of the Native American tribes resisted the civilization program, the white settlers were not lucky when it came to getting more lands. As a result, most were relocated to the west by the government forcefully and most of the Native Americans were killed. This is why the Indian Removal program was introduced by Andrew Jackson when he was the president.10 Before that, he had worked with the Indian leaders from tribes that were willing to cooperate in selling their land. However, after becoming the president he advocated for the Indian Removal act which supported the majority of white settler’s need to have “savages” thrown out. This was particularly the case with the settlers who had fought in the frontier wars. Like all the other policies before this, the Indian Removal program was not effective because there were few members of the congress who predicted terrible suffering for the Native Americans. This prompted other congress members to oppose the policy and signed a bill against it. Analysis of Assumptions that White Americans made about Indigenous people in America Contrary to this century where racial stereotypes are shunned upon, racial stereotypes in the 17, 18th and 19th centuries were common among the settlers and even the Native Americans. Each group had different views of how the other group behaved, dressed or practiced. The problem is that some of these stereotypes were very dehumanizing. For example, some of the views about Native Americans by the settlers are that they savages and that they had to be civilized through programs.11 Another example is the civilization program as noted earlier which focused on the idea that there were only a few Native Americans that were classified as nobles, such as those who agreed to sell their land. Those who opposed were classified as bad Indians.12 After he settlers met the Native Americans, the Indian woman was viewed as either a drudge or a princess and the men were viewed as hostile warriors or brave warriors. Bibliography Murrin, John, Paul Johnson, James McPherson, Alice Fahs, and Gary Gerstle. Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People, Concise Edition. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning, 2013. http://goo.gl/31fffx Prucha, Francis. Documents of United States Indian Policy. Lincoln, Nebraska: U of Nebraska Press, 2000. http://goo.gl/TztiJ0 Riley, Angela. "Indians and guns." The Georgetown Law Journal. no. 1675 (2012): 1681-1735. http://goo.gl/B5T1Lw Tripathy, Jyotirmay. "Postcolonialism and the Native American Experience: A Theoretical Perspective." Asiatic Journal. no. 1 (2009): 40-52. http://goo.gl/iZiaTg Wallace, Anthony. The Long, Bitter Trail: Andrew Jackson and the Indians. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. Read More