Prejudice Against Native Americans Essay

709 Words3 Pages

Native Americans were the first American citizens, but ever since explorers discovered America they have had a prejudice towards them. Throughout the years the Natives have endured racism, the Trail of Tears, being stuck on a reservation, and ultimately being marginalized. Native’s who live on reservations feel discriminated against and mistreated which makes life on one rough. The sadness and general melancholy on a reservation leads Native Americans to have severe drug and alcohol problems. Reservations take up about 2% of American land, which is a 98% decrease from the original land owned by Native Americans. The first reservations that Native Americans were forced to live on were in the middle of deserts with little water and very little resources. Within the reservations the Natives were supposed to receive a check from the government but, “When the Arikara Chief, White …show more content…

Halloween is the most prominent night for this cultural mockery. During Halloween Natives, “and their cultures have been co-opted, caricatured and ridiculed at sports stadiums and Halloween celebrations across the country of late.”(Rice). Wearing a headdress and painting your face may not seem disrespectful but, it is something Native Americans do when they perform special ceremonies or go to war. To Natives, their extravagant accessories are sacred and reserved for people within their tribes. Donald Trump has recently been in some trouble for exercising his first amendment by calling Elizabeth Warren, a Native American Senator, “the indian” or “Pocahontas”. Simon Smith from CNN News brings up the fact that, “We are talking about Native Americans once again being belittled in the mainstream, and this time by a leading presidential candidate” (Smith). The President is mocking the Natives and using offensive nicknames to describe people of Native American descent. This constant mimicry towards the Natives has intense side