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Essay On Native American Education

1235 Words5 Pages

I have learned a fair amount of information about Native Americans throughout my education. In history classes, we were always taught about when the Colonial Americans interacted with the Native Americans. Most of the things we were taught were specific wars – Battle at Wounded Knee, Little Bighorn, and Battle of the Wabash River. It was mainly stuff that had to do with westward expansion, taking the land, and making trades or deals. I don’t personally know that many people that are Native American. Mostly, they are people who have a little bit in their families but don’t actually connect with that part of their heritage. I did go to school with a handful of kids who were Native and from reservations, but when they were at school, they didn’t act or behave any differently than any other students. I always found it so enjoyable to talk to them and hear their stories and about their home lives. The one year I remember learning the most about Native Americans was fourth grade. We did a massive “Idaho history” unit and spent a lot of time …show more content…

They were treated as dependents, and had quite a few restrictions on the freedoms they were given – even something as simple as being able to travel outside the reservations. This is one thing that I did not know. I did not realize that Native Americans had been considered actual citizens for less than 100 years. Really America? That floors me with how long it took to give people who were here long before us the right to be a citizen of the country we created. Even in recent years, Native Americans have tried to re-assert their independence. Even more recent than that, however, there have been jurisdictive moves that allow for some self-determination – in the US as well as Canada. They have been able to relish in some limited authority over their land and lives. Regardless, they are still subordinate and not sincere

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