Summary Of Don T Drink The Water By Dave Matthews

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The song “Don’t Drink the Water”, by Dave Matthews can be viewed as reflecting a common theme during the late 1800s and early 1900s; Native Americans being forced to give up and move off of their land. Although this idea reflects the reality of what happened during this time period, it does not accurately reflect the two land policies that the US government passed regarding settlers in the West. The first of these two acts, the Homestead Act, gave settlers 160 acres of public land in exchange for a small filing fee and the promise to live on the land for at least five years. Or, the settlers could buy the land from the government for $1.25 an acre after living on it for six months. Thousands of people took advantage of this act, including many exodusters, or …show more content…

This act was an attempt by the US government to “Americanize” Native Americans. Based on these two pieces of legislation, the official viewpoint of the government during this time period was to encourage settlement of the West by encouraging the American tradition of private ownership of land, but this was just a front to hide the true discrimination and destruction that Native Americans were forced to endure. The official viewpoint is not accurately reflected in the song “Don’t Drink the Water”, however, this song does reflect the realities of what was happening in the West during this time period as a result of these two land policies. The main perspective of the song is that the incoming settlers were attempting to force the Native Americans off their land, which is shown through phrases like “you have been banished, your land is gone” and “...you must move on or I will bury you”. Phrases like these are littered throughout the sone and demonstrate how the settlers didn’t care that they were imposing on Native American’s