2020 Democratic Candidates’ Views on Native American Rights
After learning about America’s bloody history of violently displacing hundreds of thousands of Native Americans when Europeans first arrived, I thought it would be interesting to research how people today treat Natives and what they are trying to do to make up for their ancestors’ wrongdoings. Because the coming 2020 presidential election is very relevant today, I thought combining both topics would be relevant to our lives while still connecting to the history we are currently learning in class.
In the months leading up to the presidential election in 2020, there have been many different democratic candidates who have stepped up in hopes to beat out current president Donald Trump. While most of these candidates mainly focus on issues like healthcare, environmental protection, and equal opportunities, a few have made comments on their stances on Native American rights, especially regarding their land.
I first stumbled upon this issue when I read an article about democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren’s alleged Native American ancestry. Realizing she had made a controversial mistake by trying to prove her ancestry through a DNA test, Warren is now making an effort to help today’s Natives. Just two weeks ago, Elizabeth Warren rolled out an extensive proposal addressing numerous Native American issues. The first step of her plan is to revoke the permits for the Keystone XL and Dakota pipelines, two projects Natives have been against due to the destruction of native land and potential impact they could have on tribal drinking water. Elizabeth Warren also advocates in her proposal for more rights for Native Americans to be able to prosecute non-natives for crimes committed on tribal land. Moreover, Warren calls to establish a permanent white house council on Native American affairs, something that has not seen action since the beginning of Trump’s administration. Other democratic presidential candidates that have issued platforms addressing Native American needs include Bernie Sanders, Julian Castro, and Marianne Williamson.
I feel that today’s candidates stepping up and actively trying to help Native Americans is a really great step in the direction of atoning for Americans’ past wrongdoings. These candidates have the most influence over the American population and can create positive change for Native Americans in both legislature and people’s views on these issues. Under Trump's administration, policies protecting Native American have been rolled back and the administration has failed to honor and respect Tribal Nations. The fact that these democratic candidates are actively trying to fix these mistakes made under Trump shows that a big part of the society is making efforts to atone for our country’s despicable past.
Sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/native-american-voters-2020-democrats-iowa_n_5d586a71e4b0d8840ff41dbb
Hi Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really interesting, as although I have been trying to keep up with the different beliefs of the 2020 candidates, I had not thought to research their stances on Native American policies. I also agree that Elizabeth Warren's plan seems like a positive effort. In addition, I would be curious to learn about what past presidents besides Trump have done to address these issues. This information would be important in order to compare the proposals of current candidates t what others have tried before.
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ReplyDeleteI really liked how you were able to introduce this topic of Native American Rights through the perspective of an upcoming presidential candidate. Going to your statement regarding previous failed attempts at "honoring and respecting Tribal Nations," I do think that the recent statements made by the 2020 candidates shed light on an issue that has been largely diminished since at least the last presidential election. Looking into one of the sites you used, it stated that America has not even been able to adequately measure the total number of Native Americans and those of voting age. Political scientists have stated that by increasing Native American access to polls, they may ultimately play the role in deciding a "close national election." Like you stated, such an extension of democracy to one of the earliest settlers of this country will truly help atone for the country's oppressive history regarding Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/native-american-voters-2020-democrats-iowa_n_5d586a71e4b0d8840ff41dbb
Connecting this back to the modern Native Communities, I believe despite the fact that Trump still has a strong chance of getting elected, Bernie Sanders is an excellent candidate because of his views on climate change. According to the "New Green New Deal" that he proposes, spending 16.3T over a decade to transition the US towards 100 percent renewable would would include Federal jobs to help support the Native Communities. The incomes of Native Americans are low and the employment rates are high even ranging in the 70 percent such for areas such as the BlackFoot reservation in Montana. Furthermore, I feel like our society doesn't realize how scary climate change actually is. If we don't do anything, our only home will be permanently damaged. Transitioning to renewable energy and away from a consumerist society is the only way for us to protect our environment and ultimately, the Native land.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_social_statistics_of_Native_Americans
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/22/bernie-sanders-2020-climate-change-1471638
https://berniesanders.com/issues/empower-tribal-nations/
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ReplyDeleteI think that it's super interesting and very relevant for you to discuss Native American rights and their oppression in relation to the presidential elections. In regards to Elizabeth Warren, I am concerned that the different proposals she has regarding Native Americans may be simply to try to protect her political image from when she claimed to be American Indian and how it backfired on her campaign. When she used the Native identity for her own gains, when she was never a member of a tribe and when her ancestor was from 6-10 generations ago, she trivialized her actions of exploiting her "Native American heritage" just as white colonizers exploited natives centuries ago (obviously not at the same extent), but the rhetoric is similar. If she made a public video about her mistake just as she made a video announcing her DNA results, maybe I would feel differently. But maybe she does feel really bad and she is taking all these steps to help Native Americans, however messy her path has been. I just think that she's not doing enough, and neither are the rest of the candidates, as many Native Americans have expressed.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/elizabeth-warren-apologizes-for-calling-herself-native-american/2019/02/05/1627df76-2962-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html
I agree that it is really good that more candidates are actively trying to support the Native Americans. Native Americans make up only 2% of the United States population. (https://www.census.gov/newsroom/facts-for-features/2015/cb15-ff22.html) The first American colonists brought diseases and forced the Native Americans westward, which killed many. The Trail of Tears was Andrew Jackson’s policy of forced removal and is viewed as ethnic cleansing. It seems that some presidential candidates remain quiet about these issues and do little to help the Native Americans. Leading politicians, however, have the most influence in atoning for these actions. They can enact policy and pass laws that allow changes. In addition to Warren, Sanders has also talked about Native Americans’ rights. He supports tribal sovereignty and increased healthcare opportunities for Native Americans. I think that these issues should be considered when voting for the 2020 president; however, I wonder how much other people consider Native American policy when going to the polls.
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