Throughout American history, next to none have suffered more than the country’s Native Americans. In addition to having the vast majority of both their people and land taken by epidemic and war induced by the early American colonists, Native Americans were continually oppressed even centuries after the birth of the United States. Together, acts such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871, and the Dawes Act of 1887 subjected Native Americans to constant assimilation, suppression of their culture, and privatization of their land. Native American children were even taken from their families and assimilated into American culture at special schools, not to mention the fact that Native American lands diminished from 138 million acres in 1887 to just 47 million acres less than half a century later. By the beginning of the 1930s, Native American conditions in the US were definitely not looking good.
At least, that was until 1933, when Franklin Roosevelt was elected president and initiated his New Deal. For the first time in many decades, Native Americans living in the US would finally see an improvement in their political and economic lives.
John Collier, appointed as Commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs by Franklin Roosevelt, persuaded Congress to pass the Indian Reorganization Act (also known as the Indian New Deal and as the Wheeler-Howard Act) in 1934. Not only did this act put an end to the privatization of Native American lands and return some land to them as well, but it also implemented a policy of tribal self-government, gave Native Americans the right to start their own businesses and organizations, established a credit system for Native Americans, and advocated for improved Native American education. Collier also had Native Americans hired by the PWA, WPA, and CCC, benefiting both the economic situation of Native Americans and the potential success of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Furthermore, he contributed to the passing of the Johnson-O'Malley Act of 1934, which aided in improving Native American programs, such as education and agricultural assistance, regarding their financial needs.
However, the Indian Reorganization Act still faced plenty of opposition from the public. Some Americans wanted to exploit tribal lands, whereas some Native American tribes were simply against the act. Of the 343 tribes that voted on whether or not they wanted the act to apply to them, 77 declined, but it is believed that many of those who declined may have been negatively persuaded by whites who wanted to manipulate them. There also existed several instances of discontent between tribes and the US government even after the tribes accepted the act.
Although some issues continued to persist after the Indian Reorganization Act, it was definitely a start to the improvement of Native American policy in the US—and a strong one at that.
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3449
https://livingnewdeal.org/glossary/indian-reorganization-act-1934/
https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2015/11/30/indian-new-deal/
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3449
https://livingnewdeal.org/glossary/indian-reorganization-act-1934/
https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2015/11/30/indian-new-deal/
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ReplyDeleteI like how you bring to light the treatment of Native Americans during the 20th century. In history, Native Americans are typically not mentioned after the 1900s, so it was interesting to see how they were treated afterwards. It seems as if their conditions steadily improved with the passing of numerous acts in the 1930s. On a different note, I noticed that a common recurrence in history is that the positive aspects of it are generally overlooked. For example, most history courses tend to dwell on economic depressions and racial oppressions, in lieu of positive changes and progress made throughout time.
ReplyDeleteSource: https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/native-american-timeline
It's really interesting how your post was able to capture that even when the US government tried to help the Native Americans through an act after all of the struggle it put them through, white people still found a way to create opposition against it and even manipulate the Native Americans themselves! Upon further research, I found that the IRA also faced opposition in Congress since private-sector interests had profited from selling and controlling Native American lands through the Dawes Act. Because of this, the IRA allowed the Bureau of Indian Affairs to retain the ability to oversee reservations.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thoughtco.com/indian-reorganization-act-4690560