Civil Rights Issues faced by Native Americans in the 1970’s.
Native American tribes were often relocated forceably as the USA expanded in a westerly direction. Tribes were often moved into reservations and their way of life was significantly changed. In 1924 the government introduced the Indian Citizenship Act. This granted Native Americans citizenship as a reward for their contribution during the First World War. The US government also recognises over 500 tribes as being separate political entities and allows them to be self governing on their reservations. Treaties signed with the tribes often grant the tribes several rights, in particular they aim to ensure:
- preserving the existence of the tribes
- protecting the tribe’s natural resources so they can continue to hunt and fish
- promoting Native American rights
- making sure the government is accountable to Native Americans
- not only developing Indian laws, but also educating their people about these laws.
In 1970 the Native American Rights Fund was established to ensure that these rights were not violated. In 1978 the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was introduced to ensure that traditional religious beliefs and customs were retained and secured.
Links
Wikipedia – Indian Civil Rights Act 1968
Country Studies – The Native American Movement in the 60’s and 70’s.
Boston Globe – Obituary for Helen Scheirbeck, a leading activist of the 60’s and 70’s.
Knowitall.org – Timeline of Civil Rights for Native Americans.
Policy Almanac – Outlines current rights held by Native Americans.
Answers.com – Detailed description of the treaties and rights that are currently in place.
A Woman A Week – biography of an early Native American Rights activist
America in the 1920s and 1930s
USA at the start of the 20th Century – Causes of the Economic Boom – Impact of Economic Growth in the 1920’s – Agriculture in the 1920’s – The “Roaring” Twenties – Prohibition – Ku Klux Klan in the 20’s – Causes of the Wall Street Crash – Consequences of the Wall Street Crash – The Great Depression – The New Deal – Opposition to the New Deal – Evaluation of the New Deal
The United States c1945-1971
The Red Scare – Impact of the Second World War on Civil Rights – Civil Rights in 1950 – Brown v Topeka Board of Education – Little Rock High School – Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Protest – Martin Luther King Jnr – Nation of Islam and Malcolm X – The Black Panthers – Ku Klux Klan in the 1960’s – March on Washington – USA: Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s – Immigration Act of 1965 – Chicano movement and Civil Rights for Hispanic Americans – College Sit In’s and Student Protests – Women’s Rights – Native Americans and Civil Rights