Separate Nations essays

Separate Nations essays During the Indian removal of the early 1800s the 5 Civilized Tribes and other Indian tribes where dealt with as if they were small nations. Generally most people think of nations on a much larger scale. Indian tribes have some of the attributes we find familiar in other nations; language, religion, and social customs certainly set them a part from other Americans. Why do Indians believe that they are so much different from the rest of the mass of American culture and for the most part continue to resist assimilation? It has nothing to do with the complex culture and ancient traditions that have slowly died out and have no meaning over the years, as it does with the legal and political ideas developed over the centuries by Indians which give them a much different world view than the average American. Self Government is not a new idea, but has been burning in the minds of Indians for years. Not until the early 1960s did the idea of separate Indian nations take full force and Indian rights movements begin. Indian affairs are such a small portion of the domestic American scene that the federal Indian legislation no longer has a permanent committee in either houses of Congress. In 1824, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was created by Congress as a division of the War Department to seek a military solution to the growing Indian problem. After the (BIA) relocated the Indians on to reservations, their main responsibility is to manage the 2.3 percent of American land on behalf of the various tribes. If the land and people are in such good hands with the (BIA) then why are some reservations referred to as rural ghettoes and not one of the 300 treaties between tribes and the U.S. Government been honored? If they are in such good hands then why are Indians the poorest race of people in the U.S. with the highest suicide rate and alcohol related illnesses? The U.S ...