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The Impact Of The Wheeler Howard Act

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In a time of great economic insecurity, the implementation of the Wheeler Howard Act of 1935, apart of what is called the Indian New Deal, transformed government policy toward Native Americans. Beyond economic reform, the Indian New Deal positively resulted in the expansion of freedoms and rights of Native Americans. Journalist Frank H. Hill documented the impact of the Indian New Deal among Indians, particularly the Navajo, in A New Pattern of Life for the Indian. Through the account, Hill mentions several aspects of the Indian New Deal which proved beneficial to the Native American community. However, it should be noted that there were some apparent flaws. While the Indian New Deal demonstrated federal efforts to return Indian autonomy and provide needed economic support, the disregard for preexisting Indian government …show more content…

The Dawes Act of 1887 started an era of forced assimilation which stripped Indian Children of their culture and heritage. Through boarding schools, the government “sought to give the Indian the schooling of the whites, teaching him to despise his old customs and habits as barbaric” (185). Leading up to the Great Depression, government policies reduced Indian-owned lands which meant many Indian families were unable to make a living or provide for themselves. The Wheeler-Howard Act of 1935 effectively ended these policies and introduced freedoms which has been previously denied to Indians. It “gave to the tribe the right to decide whether they would accept important privileges in education, self-determination and self-government” (184). The law overturned the land allotment system and allowed tribes to establish official governments with limited powers as well as corporations to manage tribal resources. This would be integral in regaining the cultural identity and economic independence that Native Americans once

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The Ashurst-Sumners Act of 1935 banished the offer of jail products in interstate trade, keeping states from offering merchandise delivered from detainee work to clients in different states. It looked to prevent prisoner fabricated products from flooding the business sector and undermining free work. It likewise required that any items detainees made would be stamped as needs be for outside spots that allowed their

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The Act led to an array of legal and moral arguments for and against the need to relocate the Indians westward from the agriculturally productive lands of the Mississippi in Georgia and parts of Alabama. This paper compares and contrasts the major arguments for and against the

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He considered the Indian culture as a natural practice of noble virtues of humanity which should be preserved and protected from western influence. The Indian Reorganization Act was passed in order to correct the mistakes made by the Dawes General Allotment Act, with new policies such as Federal scholarships

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these were years of Native American change. Though the legislature was goal was to drive tribes onto reservations and let them make sense of another lifestyle all alone, numerous Native Americans were not in agreeance. They organized into associations and rights groups and worked together toward one main goals, which was to convince the government to pass enactment that would ensure and help Native Americans Assimilate. By the year 1871, through many efforts on boths side it was clear that sending tribes to live on reservations was not a successful solution to the government 's dilemma.

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It also took away the tribal ownership of most tribes. The act moved Indian families onto their own land, and took away Indian children away from their families and sent them to boarding

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The Indian Removal Act was signed in 1830 by President Andrew Jackson to remove the Cherokee Indians from their homes and force them to settle west of the Mississippi River. The act was passed in hopes to gain agrarian land that would replenish the cotton industry which had plummeted after the Panic of 1819. Andrew Jackson believed that effectively forcing the Cherokees to become more civilized and to christianize them would be beneficial to them. Therefore, he thought the journey westward was necessary. In late 1838, the Cherokees were removed from their homes and forced into a brutal journey westward in the bitter cold.

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Specifically, Cleveland argued that the act would give Indians the opportunity to adjust to American culture, by allowing them to begin farming their own land. Furthermore, privatization is a sure way to increase output and quality. We wholeheartedly agreed with Cleveland on this point, and felt that the Dawes Act was a solution to a myriad of problems plaguing the Wild West. Therefore, we voted in favor of Grover Cleveland on the subject of the Dawes Act during the third

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First of all, Native Americans were settled on a hotbed of natural resources which included oil and precious metals such as silver and gold. There was also much fertile land that would entice farmers and frontiersmen to move out west. On this land there was so much potential economic opportunity for farmers, cattle drivers, miners and many other occupations. The government developed the popular public misconception that the indians were misusing the land and that Americans had the right to take advantage of the opportunities that lie in the west. These ideas led to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 which authorized encroachment of Indian lands by the US government in order to divide up reservations and control Indian activity.

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The Allotment Act The Dawes Act and its supporters sang a very similar tune to southerners who justified slavery as their patriarchal and christian duty. The Dawes Act allowed the President of the United States to survey the reservations Indians lived on and allot its land to heads of households, single persons over eighteen, and to orphans. This meant that the President went into reservations and redistributed the land, upsetting the system Native Americans had previously. Slave owners of the Antebellum South believed that the Black men and women needed to be enslaved, for they could not function without a patriarchal master. Westerners too saw the Native Americans as inferior, and felt that they had to help the tribal people be free of

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In Alden Stevens, “Whither the American Indian?”, it states, “Congress is authorized to appropriate $10 million from which loans may be made for the purpose of promoting the economic development of the tribes” (Stevens). The New Deal set aside a lot of money to help rebuild the Native American’s economy. They cared about the Native Americans and made an effort to fix their economy. Later in the article it states, “About seventy-five of the tribal corporations are now functioning … and the number continues to grow” (Stevens). The New Deal successfully was able to help the Native Americans get back on their feet and be able to make it through the Great Depression.

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Native American Indians was discriminated just like other nonwhites, the New Deal relief program by the Government did not benefit them as well. American Indians were the victim of violence their land was stolen from them many was killed the surviving Native Americans were denied equality before the law and often treated as wards of the state, and placed in reservations and force to learn Americans traditions and values. Their tribal land was lost to government sales. It was not until the 1930s laws stop America from forcing American Indians to practice their culture. The law gave tribes increasing tribal economic and political

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Life for the Native Americans was much harder during and after the western expansion. For example, the US took land from the Indians leading the formation of reservations, White men almost hunted the Buffalo , an important food source for the Indians, to extinction, and forced the Indians to get rid of their culture. Because of the western expansion, the area of land the Indians could occupy decreased significantly. The government would make treaties with the Indians allowing them to keep a certain area of land, but this would soon be broken ; When the Pacific Railroad Act was passed it stated that wherever a track was laid the company would own any land 200 ft surrounding the track including Indian land ; the Government would make sure that

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Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.

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The New Deal was made to improve the conditions of millions of poor and homeless people and improve America from its depression. It was designed to fulfill three things, Relief, Reform and Recovery. To determine whether the New Deal was successful or not is a controversial issue since some historians believe it was because it gave land to Native Americans, work for the unemployed and helped the needy, among other things, some others say it was not due to the fact that taxation was increased, it was a waste of money and it was “communist style”. On one hand, the New Deal was considered to be successful for various reasons. The Indian Re-organisation Act of 1934 provided money to buy reservation land so that it could be owned by tribes rather

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The treaty stated that the indians had to allow travelers into the lands, allow government to establish roads, pay for wrongdoings of their people, and avoid conflict with other tribes, while the US government offered protection from US citizens and annuities if treaty of followed. However, issues with the treaty arose as Indians didn’t have full translation of the terms, an example of the government’s sovereignty ruling over ethics. In 1868, the treaty commision met again to improve the terms of the treaty. The US government established the Great Sioux Reservation where the indians could preside.

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