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The Pros And Cons Of Indian Reservations

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Without a doubt, Indian reservations are one of the poorest communities in the nation. But what exactly contributes to such low employment, poor healthcare, and education? Since the birth of this nation the United States has inquired trillions of dollars from Native Americans; giving Native Americans reparations is our moral way of repaying them for what we stole. The employment rate on reservations is alarming. Most jobs are sourced from the local tribe and the federal government. Most people are forced to leave the reservation the find better paying jobs. Overall, opportunity is low on reservations. Some reservations report that the job market is close to completely diminishing, 85%-95% unemployed. Businesses aren’t booming, or let alone growing. One …show more content…

For example, a few tribes found coal on their land. According to tribes’ leaders, the government made it nearly impossible to capitalize on their newly found resource. This could have been a potentially a major break in their poor economy. “It’s our right. We say yes or no. I don’t think the outside world should come out here and dictate to us what we should do with our properties.” Said Ron Crossguns of the Blackfeet Tribe pleaded. This could have likely been a perfect opportunity for tribes to stand on their own two feet, creating a skilled trade and plenty of jobs. Since the government has established strict regulations, this has prevented investors from wanting to do business on reservation land. It has been estimated that there is roughly 1.5 trillion dollars worth of natural resources sitting idly on Indian land. The resources vary, but they have remained untouched because of such strict restrictions. I’m not an economist, but I can say the equation is simple: as long as Native Americans do not have full control of their resources they are perpetually foredoomed for

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After fighting a losing battle against the English settlers, Native Americans found themselves cornered with the passage of the Indian Appropriations Act of 1851. Authorizing the creation of Indian areas in what is now Oklahoma, the native population was once again forced into even smaller fields of land called reservations. The U.S. government made several promises to provide the tribal members with food and supplies, but fell short in keeping them. In addition, there were strict limitations on the Native Americans ability to hunt, fish, and gather food. With all of these restrictions in place, the Americans were given the upper hand in terms of controlling the Indians.

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679 Words | 3 Pages

For living there, Natives were paid an annuity. It was not much money, and normally had to be used to buy food and supplies from traders who were Euro-Americans. Around the areas that the reservations were, there were also Christian missionaries. These missionaries viewed the Natives as inferior,

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606 Words | 3 Pages

The existence of tribal sovereignty over hundreds of years has sparked the assimilation that the doctrine of American Indians is not only a lawful perception, but also an essential component that defines the evolution of our country. Tribal sovereignty addresses the right for tribes to govern themselves (Internet citation) and for them to mandate their property and their land’s decisions, but if so is the case, why have infinite number of tribes been removed from their territories? Without a doubt, this paper will explore and argue how our country has been affected because of unfair laws and policies that have unreasonably been established to tribes. In order to justify this argument, I will discuss the concerns revolving the Doctrine Discovery,

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888 Words | 4 Pages

Many Americans were influenced by the Homestead Act which gave them 160 Acres of land as long as they maintained the land for 5 years. Eventually, the Native Americans no longer had somewhere to go. They decided to sign a treaty with the Americans which granted them a small reservation in which no American would cross and a promise that supplies would be sent. However, the supplies never came and Americans continued to cross into the reservation. The Native Americans wanted to fight back but they were powerless against the American’s

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1635 Words | 7 Pages

The Founding Fathers knew at the very beginning that they’d have an ongoing and complex conflict with the Native Americans, as they knew that they had stolen their land in a matter of seconds. The United States trusts in the Bureau of Indian Affairs to justly assist in the regulations and governance of Native American tribes, but does it?

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1006 Words | 5 Pages

To this day native Americans are left behind in the economy. Many leave their reservations to seek opportunities. Native Americans are many times left out of national discussions because they are a minority. Not only is 1 in 4 native person living in poverty, but the younger generation also suffers on receiving a good

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451 Words | 2 Pages

Only the federal government can regulate Native Americans. The Native American lands were protected by the treaty clause of the U.S. Constitution, “The Cherokee Nation was a distinct community, occupying its own territory. in which the law of Georgia has no right to enter but with the assent of the Cherokees”. (Callowy 705) John Marshall created the legal basis for Indian tribes to exist inside of the United States.

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784 Words | 4 Pages

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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599 Words | 3 Pages

The government knew that the Native Americans were uneducated to the new forms that are being implemented on their tribes, and were able to take advantage of them. Resulting from the Dawes Act, The Native American’s are now required to choose their own land to live on and only have four years to do so. Most Indians will not do this in the time frame and the government choses their land for them. The Indians have only known hunting and their nomadic lifestyle following the buffalo with their tribes.

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1103 Words | 5 Pages

Native communities, historically, have struggled economically compared to those of other races nationwide. So, some tribes decided to search for alternative sources of income to boost their profile and diversify their investments. One of the ideas tribes had was starting gaming operations. This idea became reality in some tribal communities with the opening of bingo operations and casinos. Today, the true effects of gaming facilities on tribal land is debated, with the consensus leaning towards minimal benefits.

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104 Words | 1 Pages

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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440 Words | 2 Pages

As well as knowing the exact events that led to the Native American downfall, it is important to know to what extent the events have damaged how Native Americans lived. Some actions might be more crucial to justifying Native communities than others. The biggest way the United States government has damaged the native way of life is by stealing their land through means of tricking them and unfair treaties. Returning land back to native peoples would bring a great amount of justice back to the Native community. In addition to returning stolen land, repaying tribes with promised money and goods they never received during treaties would help the tribes heal from the unethical ways of the government.

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451 Words | 2 Pages

This is displayed when they are not permitted to their complete spate justice system as well as their inability to be a sovereign nation without U.S. government intervention. Ross and Gould (2006), also address how their book it would be impossible to address everything throughout history that Native Americans have subjugated to. Yet there is hope that new technology and procedures could lead to better treatment and understanding of Native Americans. Nonetheless, most of this will only be possible if funding towards Native Americans is increased. The lack of resources has destroyed a lot of Natives culture.

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638 Words | 3 Pages

People are overcrowded in these households and only earn social security, veteran or disability’s income. The reservations do not have industrial employers and most of the employers include federal and tribal governments. The condition has resulted to high level of unemployment, which does not only affect individuals but the entire society. The employment problems are driving many Native American families into a state of poverty which has forced some to become homeless. Housing is another factor causing poverty in the Native American Reservations.

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1133 Words | 5 Pages

These strategies focus on improving Native Americans’ infrastructure, healthcare, physical environment, and education which environmental justice organizations believe are all part of improving the environment (Pezzullo & Sandler, 2007). When the waste from these communities is removed, this will improve the health of Native Americans’ immediate environment, but they still lack a strong, functioning economy. There needs to be reparations and another viable source of income to aid their economy, so they will not need to have dangerous facilities on their land. Possible solutions to ameliorate their economies include bringing tourism or alternative energy plants to the reservations (Wyloge, 2017). To bring tourism, there needs to be improved infrastructure on the reservations.

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