Native Americans - Immigration Project

Native Americans

with Edgar Hernandez

How were the Native Americans affected by the immigration of European settlers? 

Christopher Columbus

James Monroe

During the late fifteenth century European settlers arrived in North America. Christopher Columbus went on a voyage sponsored by the king and queen of Spain. He was in search of a western route leading to Asia. Instead, he set foot in North America in October of 1492. In this new continent they encountered a population of people whom they called the "Indians". They had actually come across Native Americans, whose population was approximately 900,000 at the time. There were also approximately 300 different languages shared by the Natives. Unfortunately, the immigration of the Europeans into their home would soon prove to be willing to destroy them. Not only were the Natives forced to share THEIR home with European settlers, but the settlers thought it was right to restrict them to certain land. The first Native American reservation in the United States was created in 1786. Reservations were around for over a century but in 1821, James Monroe criticized them stating that this type of treatment, "flattered their pride, retarded their improvement, and in many instances paved the way to their destruction". Monroe was later successful in his attempt to remove the Native Americans from all states north of the Ohio River. It is quite evident that during the first three-hundred fifty years after the Europeans set foot in America, they had already started destroying the Native customs, culture, and lives. They were being directly affected by being forced into constricted areas, of their own home! 




Link to James Monroes' Second Inaugural Address
http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres21.html 

How did United States government policies and programs affect the Native Americans directly? 

Andrew Jackson

In 1830 the Indian Removal Act became a law in the United States. The law was signed by president Andrew Jackson, which had fourteen months earlier emphasized, "to observe toward the Indian tribe within our limits a just and liberal policy, and to give that human and considerate attention to their rights and their wants whish is consisten with the haabits of out Government and the feelings of our people", during his inaugural address of inaugural address of 1829. Not only did Jackson sign the bill, but he asked Congress to allow this specific act to be passed. This law forced the Natives to leave their homes and travel to the Indian territory west of the Mississippi River. After the Lousisiana Purchase, the United States had an abundant amount of land west of the Mississippi River, land that was not necessarily desired due to its simplicity. Initially, the law granted the native tribes the option to choose whther they wanted to move or not. The deadline that the Natives had to actually move was in 1838. When time approached, soldiers and volunteers from Georgia decided to move the Indians, forcibly. This forced removal is known as the Trail of Tears. Natives were forced to walk ONE THOUSAND miles to their destination. Not only was the journey extremely long, but painful. Natives were killed, raped, and even hunted during this time resulting in approximately four thousand Native deaths.

Link to audio recording of Native American song commemorating the Trail of Tears:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/flwpabib:@field(NUMBER+@band(afcflwpa+3894b1))

Link to Andrew Jackson's Inaugural Speech of 1829:

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres23.html

How did war and war-like conditions impact the Native Americans' experience? 

James Blunt

James Blunt's letter
December 2, 1862

The American civil war was the bloodiest war in American history with the greatest deaths yet recorded, it began on April 12, 1861 and finally concluded on May 10, 1865. Growing issues between the Northern and Southern states involving tariffs, railroad taxes, and especially slavery were what caused this war. The Southern states felt that as an independent nation they would succeed and decided to secede, they were known as the Confederate states and had Robert E. Lee as their military general. The northern states however, were known as the Union and had Ulysses S. Grant. During this time the Union needed as much support as they could possibly have which is why they invited and even encourage Native Americans to voluntarily fight alongside them. On December 2, 1862 James Blunt, a physician, abolitionist and Union general, wrote a letter intended for the Natives inviting them to the war. Despite the fact that the Natives fought for the Union, they were still denied citizenship in the United States. 

Link to James Blunt's letter to the Native Americans:

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=mal&fileName=mal1/198/1987700/malpage.db&recNum=0

How were the Native Americans' betrayed, used and affected by the whites?

Christopher Houston Carson, also known as "Kit" Carson, was a well-known Indian fighter and significant trapper. In 1862, the Native Americans were invited to fight alongside the Union army in the Civil War. Not only were the Natives still denied Citizenship at this point but on July 7th of 1863, Kit Carson and his troops were determined to fight the Navajos, Indians of New Mexico and Arizona. What did these actions portray of the white men? Had they simply utilized the natives' aid? As a result of this battle against the Navajos, these natives were forcibly removed to southeastern New Mexico from the Four Corners area. In 1868 African American men were granted the right to vote in the United States. Unfortunately, Native Americans were specifically rejected suffrage in a clause of the fourteenth amendment. Even though the natives had been the group of people to have initially populated the Americas they were segregated, humiliated and destroyed. Copious battles were fought against them and various acts were established. The whites' ultimate goal was to destroy the Native Americans and ultimately gain power over their homes. 

Link go audio recording of an interview with an Oklahoma settler:

http://memory.loc.gov/afc/afcts/audio/411/4119b1.mp3 

Delineates the violence between Whites and Native Americans.