Native American Civil Rights in the 20th Century

Cherokee Nation vs. Hitchcock

Dec 1, 1902

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/
A June 28, 1898, which by section 13 thereof gives the A 1898 bill allowed the Secretary of the Interior to have "exclusive power over oil, coal, asphalt and other minerals in said territory, and authorizes him to make leases of oil, coal, asphalt and other minerals", causing a direct violation of Cherokee rule. The court case Cherokee Nation vs Hitchcock ruled in favor of the bill, thus stating the government can overrule Cherokee and othe Native Americn law.

Lone Wolf vs Hitchcock

Jan 1, 1903

The Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche tribes lived on Indian Territory created by the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867. In order for the treaty to be changed, 75% of the male residence of all the tribes must agree. However in 1982, congress attempted to take two million acres from thier territory without consultation. The case was argued in 1902 and the court ruled in favor of congress in 1903.

Antiquities Act

Jan 1, 1906

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/environment/cacv/cacvregs.htm
The Antiquities Act prohibits excavation of historic sites. This act leads ot the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

Jim Thorpe plays for the New York Giants

Apr 14, 1913

http://www.cmgww.com/sports/thorpe/facts/facts.html
Jim Thorpe is considered the most versitile athletes playing in Major League Baseball, American Professional Football Association (aka the NFL) and basketball for a brief period of time. Thorpe was half Native American and used his fame to make public the plight of Native Americans. He retired from sports in 1928.

World War 1 ends

Nov 11, 1918

http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0146.html
Native American participation in World War 1 showed America that Native Americans were capable of assimilating into militay society, so it was the logical conclusion that they could assimilate into the rest of American society. This was the basis for the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act.

Indian Citizenship Act

Jun 2, 1924

http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/frameset_reset.html?http://www.nebraskastudies.org/0700/stories/0701_0146.html
Prior to the Indian Citizenship Act, Native Americans could gain citizenship through marrying a white man or through military service. The Indian Citizenship Act granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the US. However, this act was also trying to assimilate Native Americans into mainsteam American Culture.

Dawes Act ends

Jan 1, 1933

http://www.historytoday.com/andrew-boxer/native-americans-and-federal-government
The Dawes Act started in 1887 forcing Native Americans the assimilate to American Culture by living on reservations, attending boarding schools and converting to Christianity is ended.

Indian Reorganization Act (Wheeler–Howard Act)

Jun 18, 1934

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285946/Indian-Reorganization-Act
The Indian Reorganization Act was meant to increase native American self government. This act greatly improved many Natives' ecomomic situation and the health and education of Native American children in public schools. This act also raised awareness of thier civil rights stuggle.

Foundation of National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)

Jan 1, 1944

http://www.ncai.org/about-ncai/mission-history
80 delegates from 44 tribes comveinde in Denver Colorado to form the National Congress of American Indians to unite and protect their people from threat of teaty violations, temination and sovereign rights.

Indian Claims Commission Act

Jan 1, 1946

http://jamesastarkeyjr.com/TopicTermination.htm
The Indian Claims Commission Act was a bill that allowed Natives to sue the government over land disputes. $800 million in compensation was given out, but no land was returned. This act foreshadowed future government policies.

World War 2 ends

Aug 15, 1949

http://www.defense.gov/specials/nativeamerican01/wwii.html
Native American played a vital role in world War 2 including being code talkers, joining the marines and takeing factor jobs. Native American participation in World War 2 was seen as complete assimilation into American society. Native Americans gained much more equality but lost the identificatinon that came with being part of their tribe.

Termination of tribes

Jan 1, 1950

http://jamesastarkeyjr.com/TopicTermination.htm
The Indian Claims Commission Act in 1945 somewhat justified taking native land in the government's eyes. In the 50's and 60's, congress passed aditional laws that terminated hundreds of Native American Tribes, cutting them off from thier tribal gevenment and subjegating them to federal law.

House Concurrent Resolution

Jan 1, 1953

http://facstaff.uww.edu/guliga/uwec/american_indian_history_timeline.htm
In 1953-1954, the House Concurrent Resolution gave California, Oregon, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska civil and criminal jurisdiction over most Indian lands within their borders.

William vs. Lee

Jan 12, 1959

A non- native person owned a general store on native land. The store owner wanted to collect for good that were sold to a native couple on credit. The court ruled that jusrisdiction fell to native courts and not state courts.

Indian Reorganization Act Reinfored

Jan 1, 1960

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285946/Indian-Reorganization-Act
The main goals of the the Indian Reorganization Acts are reinforced in the 1960's and 1970's

National Indian Youth Council (NIYC)

Jan 1, 1961

http://www.knowitall.org/roadtrip/cr-html/facts/timelines/na/1961.cfm
National Indian Youth Council was a a council to increase the national pride and activism among young Native American .

National Historic Preservation Act

Jan 1, 1966

http://bcn.boulder.co.us/environment/cacv/cacvregs.htm
This act is a supplament to the Antiquities Act of 1906. This act prohibits excavation of Federal or Native land.

Foundation of American Indian Movement

Jun 1, 1968

http://libguides.mnhs.org/aim
The American Indian Movement was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota. AIM is a militant group that protests the high unemployment and poor living conditions of Native Americans

Native American Rights Foundation (NARF) founded

Jan 1, 1970

http://www.narf.org/about/about_whatwedo.html
The Native American Righs Foundation was founded in 1970 to provide legal help to Native American tribes.

Indian Education Act

Jan 1, 1972

http://www.knowitall.org/roadtrip/cr-html/facts/timelines/na/1972.cfm
The Indian Education Act funded bilingual anf bicultural schools for childern with cultrally relevant studies. The act also created the Office of Indian Education in the US Department of Education.

Trail of Broken Treaties

Nov 1, 1972

http://www.framingredpower.org/narrative/tbt/
Native Americans from all all over the United States and groups such as the American Indian Movement, the National Indian Brotherhood of Canada, the National Indian Youth Council, the Native American Rights Fund and the American Indian Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse gather in Washingto DC to push for Native American policies in the upcoming presidential campaign.

American Indian Movement (AIM) siege

May 9, 1973

http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/chronology.html
May 9 was the end of a 71 day siege of a villege in the Oglala Sioux reservation in South Dakota. AIM supporters occupied the village trying to spur talks over the US violating treaties. 1000 federal agents surrounded the town claiming they were holding hostages. 2 AIM supporters were killed.

The Longest Walk

Jun 15, 1978

http://www.knowitall.org/roadtrip/cr-html/facts/timelines/na/1978.cfm
The Longest Walk was a protest to symbolize the forced removal of Native Americans from tribal lands. Protestors walked from San Fransico to Washington D.C. Protestors wanted to bring attention to backlash against efforts to protect Native Rights

Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protection Association,

Apr 19, 1988

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0485_0439_ZS.html
the US Forest Service wanted to build a fire service road on Native American religious ritual grounds in Chimney Rock and Six Rivers National Forests. The Court ruled in favor of the Native Americans.

Employment Division of Oregon v. Smith

Apr 17, 1990

http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0494_0872_ZO.html
Alfred Smith and Galen Black were fired for ingested peyote for ceramonial pourposes. Both were denied unmployment benefits because they were fired for "misconduct". The court ruled in favor of Smith and Black because their denial benefits violated the free exercise rights under the First Amendment.

Native American Languages Act of 1990

Oct 30, 1990

http://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/native-american-languages-act-twenty-years-later-has-it-made-difference
This act states Native Americans are intiteled to using thier own language and places importance on Native Americans preserving thier language. This act reverses the previous policy of eradicating native languages.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act

Nov 16, 1990

http://www.usbr.gov/nagpra/
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 required meusams and government agencies to disclose all artifacts from Native American including human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony, cultural items and return them to tribes if they could prove it belonged to them.

Religious Freedom Restoration Act

Nov 16, 1993

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_Freedom_Restoration_Act
Religious Freedom Restoration Act aimed at preventing laws that substantially burden a person's free exercise of their religion. This act was not specifically for Native Americans, but it has been used to promote the free practice of Native American religion.