-
Characterized by hundreds of different tribal groups, most speaking their own languages, having their own political systems, and living in different areas spanning across North and South America. -
Christopher Columbus, who sailed for Spain, landed on the shores of the Bahamas. Originally, Native Americans and Europeans got along. Interactions between the two groups were peaceful and all was well. -
When Europeans traveled further west, the "Old World" (Europe, Asia, Africa) met the "New World" (North and South America). From the Old World, they brought horses, cattle, wheat, and sugar. From the New World, Europeans got tomatoes, corn, tobacco, potatoes, and cocoa beans. Along with these, the Old World also brought a plethora of diseases which ultimately killed millions of Native Americans. -
Conflicts over land (1620s - 1830) led to many wars, including the Pequot War and King Philip's War. These wars increased tension between the indigenious people of the Americas and European colonists, directly leading to the way Native Americans were treated later on. -
The Indian Removal Act, signed into law by Andrew Jackson, relocated Native American tribes from the Southern United States in order to open up new land for white settlement. On these trails, Native Americans faced harsh conditions and were treated very poorly. Many died. -
The Lakota and Cheyenne Native tribes had a significant victory over the United States Army in a battle over land. Amid this battle, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, an esteemed US Army officer and commander, died, fueling the rage colonists already held for Native Americans. This loss for the US caused them to increase their efforts further in relocating Native Americans. -
Congress passed the Dawes Act, named after Senator Henry Dawes, on February 8, 1887. Prior to this, Native Americans were relocated using brutal tactics with no say in their destination. This act prioritized allotting Native American tribes pieces of land that would then be distributed to individual members. Its goal was to assimilate Native Americans into the society created by colonists. -
The United States' attempts to force Native Americans into its society led them to violent extremes. On December 29, 1890, the United States Army killed between 150 and 300 Lakota people. Researchers say that it's estimated that around half of these victims were women and children. Prior to this battle, the leader of the Lakota Tribe, Sitting Bull, was assassinated for refusing to give up Lakota tradition. -
Former President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act into law on June 2, 1924. This act granted citizenship to the almost 200,000 Native Americans who were not classified as citizens. Then, it became a state's decision whether or not Indigenous Americans were able to vote within that state. It wasn't until 1948 that voting was legal for Native Americans in all fifty states. -
On November 20, 1969, a group of around 90 Indigenous students took a boat to the island of Alcatraz, managing to occupy it in the process. They held this occupation for over a year and a half, offering to pay for the island for $24, which was the same amount of money the United States had paid for Manhattan. This occupation is viewed as one of the most significant acts of Native American activism of all time.