Native Americans vs. Government
By: Sierra McIntyre
Human Rights .vs. Government Outcome
Throughout history there have events that have had the outcome be better for the government than the people they are effecting. One good example that the Native Americans and the Western Expansion, is good example of taking land and hurting people along with it.
Human Rights has been a big issue in our history you see it when you look at slavery and the Holocaust and other events. When you look at one event in particular like the Western Expansion you can see clearly why this would affect human rights. The government was trying to build a railroad, so because of this they were making it hard for the Native Americans to live for many reasons. One of the bigger reasons was the buffalo. They would kill the buffalo to feed the people that were working on the railroads, but they would not use all of it. They were killing them just because they were in the way of where they were going to build the railroad. They would also kill them just for their hides and not use all of it. When the Native Americans lived there before the Western Expansion the buffalo were everywhere and there were so many of them. But now that they have killed a lot of them there are little to none.
They were also forcing them on to reservations. Where it was not all they said it was going to be. They promised good farming lands and the supplies they were going to need. When the supplies came they were rotten or not good enough and the farming lands were not very good. With the deal they had to send their children off to a christian school to learn what the whites were learning. By doing this they were not learning about their own culture like they wanted to. They also could use their real name they had to chose a christian name out of a book. Now all of this would have been fine maybe it would not have done it in such a rude manner. They would just come into their camps and tell them that they had to move. Or they could have the option of fighting. This was such a terrible thing that they did to the Native Americans. How would you like it if you were run out of our home?
The Native Americans are still impacted today. A lot are still living in the reservations. “About a third of the Indians still live on reservations in the US”(Native). This shows that some are still trying to do it the old ways. Then the rest live in our cities and towns. On the reservations they still have their culture. But some are worried that will disappear because so many Indians are being put into a white society. Where they stand right now is better than they had like what fifteen years ago. “But the good thing is that have it better than they did in the beginning of the 20th century”(Native). This is showing that some are trying make it in the old ways.
They have a way better education and some are getting really good and important jobs. They can earn money from taxes, selling handicrafts or oil that is produced on there land. Yes there life has improved a lot but they still face some big problems. People not working is low in the tribes. “Unemployment on reservations is about 50%”(Native). This shows that maybe some do not have the education that others get. A regular Indians family income is a lot lower than a white family income. Most are badly paid and unskilled. The suicide rate in some areas are higher than others.In there tribes they have been through so much like alcoholism and suicide. They were once happy and vibrant people. “They have been robbed, humiliated, and removed from all they knew”(Americans). This shows what the government has done to their lifestyle and how it has been beaten down to almost nothing.
In conclusion the government has cared more about expanding the world than caring about the human rights of other people. Native Americans culture has been beaten down and changed so many times that some have turned to suicide or alcoholism. But some have had a mindset of they can get through life, with trying to get an education to get a job and support their family on the little income they get.
Native American Collage
Video about Native Americans now and the early years
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