Native Americans & US Federal Govt: War, Opp., Defeat. Essay

Introduction

The relationship between Native Americans and the federal government of the US has been strenuous. The settlement of Europeans in the country is associated with war, opposition, and defeat. The relationship is as a result of the treating Native American countries as near equals (National Geographic, 2019). In the 18th century, the federal government was free to acquire land from Native Americans by force or through agreement. Resistance from different communities led to conflicts with the American government. In this regard, the essay discusses the treatment of Native Americans.

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The Treatment of Native Americans

Native Americans were not treated as Natives. The first incident was the Louisiana Purchase. It was an agreement between the United States and France whereby the US acquired 828,000 sq miles (2,140,000 km2). However, France controlled a fraction of this land and this was an issue of concern since Native Americans inhabited the land. France surrendered possessions of North America to Spain. A crisis arose in Louisiana in 1802 when pain signed an agreement transferring the territory back to France, because the country had so much power (Monticello, 2020). Although Native Americans inherited the land, they were not allowed to engage in economic activities and were treated as foreigners. However, through negotiations and military operations, the United States took full possession of the territory in 1803. Native Americans lost during this period since they lost their land while some of them were forcefully recruited into the military. They lost economic livelihoods despite being in their home country.

The second aspect, illustrating the treatment of Native Americans was the War of 1812. Before entering the war, Britain and France were already in war trying to control international trade and this left the United States in an awkward situation. The US could not engage in international trade with any of the two countries without sanctions from the other (American Battlefield, 2020). The congress passed several non-importation policies to compel European countries to feel the impact and mount pressure on France and Britain to lift their trade rivals. At the same time, Britain did some other things regarded as insults to Americans (Stevans, 2004). It rejected the American’s neutrality call during the war and stopped American ships at the sea, and recruited sailors to Royal Navy by force. The British Parliament passed ‘Orders in Council’ that ordered a search and seizure of all ships navigating through the French port. This order strained the relationship between the United States and its trading allies since it traded regularly with France. The US entered into war with the British in 1812, resulting in deaths and massacre of prisoners by British soldiers (American Battlefield, 2020). The biggest losers in the war were Native Americans. Many of them lost their lands to the colonies and continued to be treated as foreigners in their country.

Additionally, the Florida wars negatively affected Native Americans. Spain regained control of Florida from Britain at the end of the American Revolution. Many Spanish poured into the territory because of the favorable terms to acquire a property. Furthermore, escaped slaves entered the territory since American rulers had no authority in Florida (Seminole Nation Museum, 2020). The effects of the wars include the relocation of Native Americans from their lands to safer places and some of them ended working for the Spanish colonists. Many American commandos engaged the colonists in wars but were defeated, leading to more deaths. Native Americans lost their property and even those who remained in the territory faced difficult terms of acquiring property (Stevans, 2004). The other effect was the displacement of Americans since they could not stand harsh treatment from Spanish and British colonists.

Native Americans improved their lives after the election of Andrew Jackson as the president. The president prospered by buying slaves to build his mansion. Before his election, Andrew Jackson was an army general, who for many years advocated for the removal of Indians. His brutal campaigns led to the transfer of hundreds of acres of land from Indians to white farmers in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida Seminoles. He signed the Indian removal act in 1830, giving the federal government power to exchange land in the east with the west in Mississippi, which the United States had acquired as a result of Louisiana Purchase (History, 2020). Although the leader fought for the rights of Americans, his leadership effects include displacement of people from their native lands and continuity of slavery, as well as harsh treatment of the Natives. Consequently, his leadership led to the trail of tears. The Indian removal policy compelled the Cherokee nation to give up their land and migrate to another area presently called Oklahoma. The Cherokee community suffered a great deal with forced migration.

Finally, the Dawes Act of 1887 mandated the federal government to subdivide community lands to senior people in the US, such as American heads. The legislation changed land policy to systems the government imposes (PBS, 2001). It changed the capitalist culture that existed before. Although many communities opposed the policy, the government was determined to alienate land from the Native Americans. Its effects include loss of land and forced displacement of people (PBS, 2001). Also, non-Native Americans acquired land from the government. In some instances, the government sold surplus land to all people, who included non-Natives. The legislation treats non-Natives equally and Americans felt oppressed from its government.

Conclusion

Native Americans experienced harsh treatment during the colonial period. Superpowers, such as France, Britain, and Spain engaged in unfair and discriminatory international trade. Colonists alienated land from the Native Americans by force or through treaties. Examples of unfair treatment of Native Americans include events following Louisiana Purchase, the war of 1812, Andrew Jackson governance, Trail of tears, Florida wars, and Dawes Act.

References

American Battlefield. (2020). A brief overview of the war of 1812. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-war-1812

History. (2020). Trail of tears. https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears

Monticello. (2020). The Louisiana Purchase. https://www.monticello.org/thomas-jefferson/louisiana-lewis-clark/the-louisiana-purchase/

National Geographic. (2019). The United States government’s relationship with Native Americans. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/united-states-governments-relationship-native-americans/

PBS. (2001). The Dawes Act. https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/resources/archives/eight/dawes.htm

Stevans, L. (2004). The poor Indians: British missionaries, Native Americans, and colonial sensibility. PENN. https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=A5QP6NQVXv8C&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Stevans,+L.+(2004).+The+poor+Indians:+British+missionaries,+Native+Americans,+and+colonial+sensibility.+PENN.&ots=S8elulFHtR&sig=hdU25pCed_y6uvMCPFWC7UAGf6U&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Stevans%2C%20L.%20(2004).%20The%20poor%20Indians%3A%20British%20missionaries%2C%20Native%20Americans%2C%20and%20colonial%20sensibility.%20PENN.&f=false

Seminole Nation Museum. (2020). The Seminole wars. https://www.seminolenationmuseum.org/history/seminole-nation/the-seminole-wars/