Hostile Takeover of the New World Essay -- Native American History Ind

Hostile Takeover of the New World The Effects of the United States Government on the Indians "The responsibility of any nation, and the particular responsibility of elected officials of any nation, is not to justify what has passed for legality but to anticipate the conditions and problems of tomorrow and attempt to deal with them. The current confusion and violence in Indian Country are a result of the failure to do so by generations of elected officials in this country. To continue to perpetuate myths about American Indians which have no basis in fact or in law is merely avoiding the larger issues confronting the nations of the world," said author Vine Deloria, Jr. (Deloria, Prologue) The United States government failed miserably in its attempt to deal with the Indians. By pushing them further and further West, they pushed the Indians to hate and distrust the white man to the point of war. These wars resulted in hundreds of white deaths. However, the wars resulted in the destruction of several entire Indian tribes and the near extinction of Indian spirit throughout America. The tale is a sad one, one that Americans should not be proud of. After every broken treaty, the Americans blamed the Indians for existing, despite the want of the Indians to simply live on their lands peacefully. The "Trail of Tears" was a great tragedy and many thought it would be the last now that all of the Indians were out of the eastern United States. But the U.S. government became land hungry and due to their idealism of "Manifest Destiny," the ... ... guide them as time passes and the Indians are further stereotyped as drunks and crooked casino owners. Alas, the ways of the Indians were replaced. Sacred hunting territories gave way to railroads and ranches. Buffalo are an animal of the past and often thought of as an animal of mysticism. Both the buffalo and the Indian culture are romanticized in movies that are neither truthful nor accurate. Stereotypes and prejudices replaced unity and togetherness. Pollution haunts every city on the planet. Respect of one's fellow man gave way to crimes unthought of by the Indians. They lived their lives honorably. They died honorably. Even despite hardships and misconceptions, they will continue to live honorably. That is one thing the government can never take away from them.