Native American DBQ

Marissa Barmash
9/9/07
Period D

The Native Americans never asked for much of what was done to them in the late 19th century. The government and the military believed they were "helping" the Natives. However instead of helping they were doing a lot of damage to the Natives Americans. As seen by Document A, the Reconstruction of the Five Civilized Nations in Indian Territory was supposed to help Indians by securing the Indian concentration. But instead it benefited the government where the Federal government could release territory for white settlers as well as Indian Territory.

The government has made many treaties, bargains, and promises to do with the Natives. And the government has backed out on all of them. This is seen by a Native American man in Document B, " Too many misinterpretations have beem made; too many misinterpretations have come up by the white men and the Indians." This man has grown weary of all the negotiations that the white men have given his people and haven't given their end of the bargain. He's seen that their words really mean nothing. And he just wishes for peace and for himself to just to be able to be a free man.

Others than the government found it adequate to civilize and "take care of" the Indians. These people didn't believe that the government was doing the right thing in killing off their people. They should just just try to civilize the Indians by making them good Christians and by making them like everyone else. As seen in Document I, "...In order that certain picturesque aspects of savagery and barbarism may continue..." These people thought that the Natives were brutal savages, but by educating them and making them law-abiding citizens. This is a great example of how many people thought they were in the Natives best interests, but really they were ruining their culture, their families, their traditions and overall their lives.

Only a few sources give us information of how the Native Americans lives were ruined while the white men sought to civilize and kill them. In Document C it's described how the Government always broke its promises. There was a long history of brutal killings of the Natives by the white men as well as robbery, and truly savage work done by white men. Also in Document J, we hear the words of another Native American man who felt that before the white men took over the land the Indians were a good people. After he received a property which was worthless."Congress recognizes the fact forcibly, by implication, that these allotments are not sufficient." Meaning that Congress knew that they were doing wrong, they just didn't want to do anything about it. And so seen by these sources we see that the people and organizations who thought they had the Native American's best interests at heart were hurting them in the process.