Paper Three: Indigenous Movements in USA/Canada/Latin America
What are civil rights?
● Economic and political
● Legal rights
● Property and land
● Access toe ducation, social services and support for maintenance of culture and language
● Racial and ethnic discrimination
● Collective civil rights rather than solely on individuals
○ Contrasted with african american civil rights movement
Origins- what caused the movement?...........................................................................................................................................................................2
Reasons: USA..........................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Reasons Latin America............................................................................................................................................................................................4
Canada.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................7
Nature...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Methods USA..........................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Achievements USA................................................................................................................................................................................................12
Role of government USA:.....................................................................................................................................................................................14
Challenges USA:....................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Methods Canada....................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Achievements Canada............................................................................................................................................................................................16
Challenges Canada.................................................................................................................................................................................................19
Role of government Canada..................................................................................................................................................................................20
,Origins- what caused the movement?
Examine the reasons for, and the success of, indigenous peoples increased demand for civil rights in one country of the
Americas after 1945.
Analyse the reasons for Native American activism in one country of the region after 1960s.
Reasons: USA
Line of argument: The indigenous movement in the USA championed by Native Americans arguably grew as a response to three factors:
firstly, the legacy of racism and discrimination embedded by the country’s colonial history, secondly, the growing disillusionment with
government policies, and finally it was further catalysed by the general air of revolution inspired by other social movements in the
Americas.
1. Remnants of colonialism: poverty and discrimination
Before 1945:
● 1800’s - land taken by Americans and Natives were placed in reservations
● Children forced to go to white boarding schools
● 1924- granted citizenship
● Assimilation policies and allotment: much of the land fell out of their grasp by 1932
● Continued to face discrimination and racism: were sterilized by government: Vermont sterilized the local tribe because they were
supposedly ‘immoral’ and ‘criminal’ up until the 1970s
● Situation worsened under the great depression
○ New deal did not really relieve native american poverty
○ However it abandoned assimilative policies
Continued after 1945:
● Returned fron ww2 with increased rights consciousness
, ● Half of the 700,000 Native American population lived short, hard lives on the reservations,
● unemployment ranged from 20 to 80 per cent
● life expectancy in 1968 was 44 years (the national average was 64)
● High alcoholism and suicide rates
● When urbanized they were restricted to poor education, low paying jobs and high crime rate
2. Disillusionment with government
1960-80
● Caused increased activism, culminated throughout the years
● Failure of new deal: native americans remained in poverty
● Attempts to compensate years of unjust laws ironically contributed to the increase in native american movement
● Truman granted native americans $400 million through the Indian Claims Commission- aimed to compensate for previous unjust land
losses
○ While it did lead to increased tribal econ dev
○ historian Fixico comments how the this solidified native people while making them aware of the government’s long history of
oppression against them
● Progress eliminated in 1950 with new commissioner Myer who acted in a dictatorial fashion
○ Sold tribal land without consent
○ Tried to break up reservations and scatter people
● Eisenhower went ‘back to the bad old days’ - Debo
○ Termination of self-government: inspired by cold war, fear of red scare, increased state government’s jurisdiction over
reservations
○ Terminated reservations to gain access to their land, for example in Utah, where there was oil and uranium
3. Inspiration from other social movements
What are civil rights?
● Economic and political
● Legal rights
● Property and land
● Access toe ducation, social services and support for maintenance of culture and language
● Racial and ethnic discrimination
● Collective civil rights rather than solely on individuals
○ Contrasted with african american civil rights movement
Origins- what caused the movement?...........................................................................................................................................................................2
Reasons: USA..........................................................................................................................................................................................................2
Reasons Latin America............................................................................................................................................................................................4
Canada.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................7
Nature...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Methods USA..........................................................................................................................................................................................................8
Achievements USA................................................................................................................................................................................................12
Role of government USA:.....................................................................................................................................................................................14
Challenges USA:....................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Methods Canada....................................................................................................................................................................................................15
Achievements Canada............................................................................................................................................................................................16
Challenges Canada.................................................................................................................................................................................................19
Role of government Canada..................................................................................................................................................................................20
,Origins- what caused the movement?
Examine the reasons for, and the success of, indigenous peoples increased demand for civil rights in one country of the
Americas after 1945.
Analyse the reasons for Native American activism in one country of the region after 1960s.
Reasons: USA
Line of argument: The indigenous movement in the USA championed by Native Americans arguably grew as a response to three factors:
firstly, the legacy of racism and discrimination embedded by the country’s colonial history, secondly, the growing disillusionment with
government policies, and finally it was further catalysed by the general air of revolution inspired by other social movements in the
Americas.
1. Remnants of colonialism: poverty and discrimination
Before 1945:
● 1800’s - land taken by Americans and Natives were placed in reservations
● Children forced to go to white boarding schools
● 1924- granted citizenship
● Assimilation policies and allotment: much of the land fell out of their grasp by 1932
● Continued to face discrimination and racism: were sterilized by government: Vermont sterilized the local tribe because they were
supposedly ‘immoral’ and ‘criminal’ up until the 1970s
● Situation worsened under the great depression
○ New deal did not really relieve native american poverty
○ However it abandoned assimilative policies
Continued after 1945:
● Returned fron ww2 with increased rights consciousness
, ● Half of the 700,000 Native American population lived short, hard lives on the reservations,
● unemployment ranged from 20 to 80 per cent
● life expectancy in 1968 was 44 years (the national average was 64)
● High alcoholism and suicide rates
● When urbanized they were restricted to poor education, low paying jobs and high crime rate
2. Disillusionment with government
1960-80
● Caused increased activism, culminated throughout the years
● Failure of new deal: native americans remained in poverty
● Attempts to compensate years of unjust laws ironically contributed to the increase in native american movement
● Truman granted native americans $400 million through the Indian Claims Commission- aimed to compensate for previous unjust land
losses
○ While it did lead to increased tribal econ dev
○ historian Fixico comments how the this solidified native people while making them aware of the government’s long history of
oppression against them
● Progress eliminated in 1950 with new commissioner Myer who acted in a dictatorial fashion
○ Sold tribal land without consent
○ Tried to break up reservations and scatter people
● Eisenhower went ‘back to the bad old days’ - Debo
○ Termination of self-government: inspired by cold war, fear of red scare, increased state government’s jurisdiction over
reservations
○ Terminated reservations to gain access to their land, for example in Utah, where there was oil and uranium
3. Inspiration from other social movements
