Removing Cultural Identity

Although racism and discrimination had become less prominent in the late 19th century, events involving Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans had shown that acceptance and discrimination remained a major issue. As the government became more involved with the Native Americans of the Great Plains and Buffalo soldiers, their intentions became controversial. This week, as we learned about the Buffalo soldiers and Native Americans of the Great Plains, we were able to develop our own individual opinions as to whether the government’s actions were well-intended or discriminatory. To further develop our opinions, we examined several primary sources about the matter and took notes on various videos from historians. After note-taking and opinion forming, I was able to conclude that the government had both well-intended and discriminatory intentions towards the Native Americans and Buffalo soldiers, easily manipulating, but also somewhat aiding the natives and soldiers.

The majority of Federal policies proved to be discriminatory towards the natives and Buffalo Soldiers. After the Civil War, Americans flooded into the Great Plains removing the cultural identity of the Native Americans, using total war to destroy anything life sustaining. This marked the beginning of the Indian Removal Act, forcing Indians to move west of the Mississippi River to smaller living conditions. American government refused negotiation with the natives, believing that they were superior to them. During the Indian Removal, Americans ignored that Native Americans were protected by the law, having the rights of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. During the majority of the Indian Removal, federal policies manipulated natives, forcing them to leave their homes and destroying native civilization.

However, some federal policies during the Indian Removal were arguably well-intended. The federal government established the Dawes Act in 1887, granting the right to Indians to have land and citizenship if they are willing to become farmers and change to American culture. Stated in the Dawes Act, “To each head of a family, one-quarter of a section; To each single person over eighteen years of age, one-eighth of a section…”. These allotments of land may have been intended to benefit the natives, however, about 90% of the designated land ended up going to the American general public. The Carlisle Schools were established in 1879 by American Government, providing  native children with an education. Although these schools may have been well-intended, they Americanized natives and caused family units to fall apart. The Carlisle Schools may have arguably been an example of a well-intended act on behalf of the American government. However, the majority of federal policies gave unjust treatment to the Indians.

After learning about the federal policies during this time, I have developed the opinion that the American government had mostly discriminatory intentions, despite having few possible well-intended acts. Small acts such as the establishment of the Carlisle schools can not compensate for the unjust treatment given to the natives and soldiers during the Indian Removal. The American government had a sense of superiority towards the natives, believing that they could manipulate the natives, without any consideration for how their federal policies affected the culture and community of the natives.

Max D. Standley. The Trail of Tears. 2007. https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/test-2/deck/6098052

"Dawes Act (1887)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2015. Web. 5 June 2015.