Native Americans

New Deal - positives

tribes led by own people, 174 tribes formed own government - 2 million acres of land returned over 20 years - health improved due to 1938 Census - Arts and Crafts Board 1935, promoted tribal products - allowed to practice own religion - CCC focused on improving reservations, road building, 80,000 natives took part

New Deal - negatives

natives wanted more autonomy - viewed as a paternalistic compromise - limited influence in economic and political affairs - assimilation of education and healthcare - 2 million acres of land was nothing - poverty very bad - lasts 15 years until government ignore it

Middle Period - National Congress of American Indians

1944 - 80 natives represent 50 tribes - challenge discrimination in employment and breaking of treaties - seen as native activism, arguable making WW2 a turning point

Middle Period - WW2

100,000 left reservations - 25,000 served in armed forces - 75,000 moved to urban areas to work in defence industry - life on reservations hard as resources went to war effort - returned to reservations after war due to discrimination and persecution

Middle Period - Society of American Indians

1911 - aimed to improve education and healthcare - consisted of 50 educated native men and women - shortage of funds - lack of support - collapsed in 1921

Middle Period - Indian Citizenship Act 1924

policy of assimilation - by 1924 2/3 of natives had citizenship through Dawes Act 1997, this was extended to 5 civilised tribes - allowed to vote however voting qualifications - natives can only vote properly in 1965

Middle Period - AIDA

set up due to reservation land getting smaller due to Dawes Act 1887 - Minnesota and Wisconsin lost 80% of their land - Pueblo Indians deemed incapable of managing land in 1913 - aim of campaign was to protect native land and culture - successful as managed to stop Bursum Bill and Leavitt Bill

Black Power - economic positives

Indian Claims Commission 1946, 370 petitions, response to WW2 - Voluntary Relocation Program 1953, gave natives support - Indian Vocational Training Act 1956, so native could obtain job skills - benefits from Nixon’s policy of affirmative action in 1968

Black Power - economic negatives

Termination 1953, natives subject to same laws as every citizen, no more support - Wisconsin and Oregon lost 500,000 acres of land - Indian New Deal collapsed - in 1960 25% classified as poot - unemployment at 18% and 42% by 1968 - Eisenhower removed reservation funding in 1953

Black Power - social positives

Voluntary Relocation Program 1953, support so natives could move away from reservations, 1950 56,000 in urban areas and by 1980 740,000 - NCAI 1944 used litigation to challenge discrimination - NIYC 1961 maintain fishing rights in Oregon, fish ins begin in 1968 - AIM 1968, young natives monitor police activity, decreased native arrests

Black Power - social negatives

40-70% of natives returned to reservations after feeling alienated - funding for reservations low, disease and alcoholism - life expectancy low at 44 years in 1969, 20 years lower than other citizens - slow progression

Black Power - political positives

LBJ offered support to natives calling them ‘Forgotten Americans’ - Civil Rights Voting Act 1965 outlawed voting qualifications - Indian Bill of Rights 1968, NIYC and NCAI encouraged this

Black Power - political negatives

despite having vote natives couldn’t use it due to poor literacy and living on reservations