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Imagine that beings from outer space have landed in your community.
At first there are only a few of them, and they treat you well. They ask you to help them survive in this strange new place. But soon, more of them show up. They start to act like they can do whatever they want. They tell you that their way of living is better than yours. They also tell you that you’d better learn to like it—because they’re taking over your land. How would you feel?
That’s a lot like what happened to Native Americans when the Europeans came to this continent. The first Europeans needed help from their Native hosts. As time went on, more and more Europeans arrived. They were greedy for land and resources. Soon, their diseases and weapons killed many of the Native people. Once there were more newcomers than Natives, the invaders put the hosts under their control.
For almost 200 years, the U.S. government kept changing its policy toward Native Americans. First, it signed friendly treaties. Then it forced Natives to leave their lands. It made them live on reservations. Then it broke the reservations into smaller pieces. All these decisions were made to take land away from Native Americans. But in the last 50 years, the government has begun to admit these actions were unfair. Now, it’s working with Native Americans to try and right these past wrongs. Here’s a brief look at relations between Natives and newcomers.
1492–1600
◀ The Spanish, English, French, and Dutch come to North America. They are mostly friendly with Native Americans.
1565–1626
The Europeans set up the first permanent colonies in North America. ▶
1680
▲ The Pueblo people of the Southwest revolt against the Spanish.
1775
◀ The British and the American colonists go to war. Most Native Americans on the Atlantic coast fight for the British. The British say that they’re defending the Native Americans’ lands.
1787
The U.S. Congress passes the Northwest Ordinance. It says that no lands and property shall be taken from Native Americans without their consent. ▶
1803
◀ President Thomas Jefferson proposes moving the eastern Native Americans. He wants to put them west of the Mississippi River. This will make it easier to “civilize” them.
1808
Tecumseh travels the country to unite the Native Americans. He wants them to resist U.S. pressure to make treaties that would take away their lands. ▶
1838
▲ The U.S. begins a policy of forced removal. It forces 16,000 Cherokee to travel from their eastern homeland to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). At least 2,000 die along the way. This journey becomes known as the “Trail of Tears.”
1877
◀ After years of fighting, the Plains Indians are confined to reservations. The government begins forcing Native Americans to adopt non-Native ways. Many Native children are sent to boarding schools. They’re not allowed to speak their language there. They’re also not allowed to practice their religion.
1887
The Dawes Act ignores the Native American tradition of sharing land. It cuts reservations into separate pieces and sells the rest of the land. This means the Native Americans lose more than 90 million acres of reservation land. That’s about the size of the state of Montana. ▶
1934
▲ The Indian Reorganization Act replaces the Dawes Act. The new act tries to give Native Americans more control over their lives. But it doesn’t work.
1953
◀ The U.S. government cuts services to tribes it believes don’t need them. This causes many Native Americans to become very poor. It also means more Native babies die.
1950s
The U.S. begins moving Native Americans into cities. It wants them to give up their customs and fit into modern U.S. culture. ▶
1960s
◀ Many Native Americans unite to take control of their lives. The U.S. adopts a new policy. It gives Natives more power to make decisions about themselves.
1980s and 1990s
There is a rebirth of Native American pride. People see what Native Americans can teach us about community. Also, what they can teach us about living in harmony with nature. ▶
2000s and 2010s
▲ Casinos and other gaming businesses bring in a lot of money for some Native Americans. That has made life better for some tribes. But not enough. The 2010 census showed that nearly 30 percent of Native Americans live in poverty. That’s almost twice as high as the U.S. overall.
▲ In July 2015, the White House hosted a big event for almost 1,000 young Native Americans. It was the first ever Tribal Youth Gathering. Michelle Obama met with the group. So did Cabinet officials and members of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. They talked about ways to help Native youth get ahead and do better.
