Analysis: The fate of the Native Americans in the US

In the following I’m going to analyse the fate of the Native Americans in the United States. In this connection, I will have a closer look at the history of the Natives and their current social situation. Concluding I’m going to create an overall picture of their fate.

The History

The Native Americans lived in the United States long before the arrival of Chistopher Columbus. They were grouped into tribes or nations usually based on the area they lived in and their culture, their religion, customs or language. As best as historians can tell, these tribes were fairly peaceful and lived in harmony with the nature prior to the arrival of the Europeans.
The first contact of the whites and the Native Americans was made by Christopher Columbus in 1492. He called them Indians because he thought that he was in East Indies.

A few years later European invaders arrived and took possession of the Native’s land, they stole their gold and suppressed them.

Millions of Indians died at that time because of diseases, which the Europeans imported into the new continent and because of the hard work they had to do for them. The Indians wanted to protest but hadn’t the power and the weapons which could defeat their enemies, so the Europeans could continue to suppress, to resettle and to expel the Indians into reservations (Colonization and Indian Removal Act).

Since 1880 the Natives lived like prisoners in those reservations, under strict control of the US government and not allowed to live out their cultural identity any more. Often they depended on the rations the whites provided because of the redistribution of land and the destruction of their hunting possibilities caused by the Americans. So, the result was hunger and poverty which caused numerous insurgencies. But the resistance stopped after the Wounded Knee Massacre to which 350 Indians fall victim.

In spite of all the disadvantages the Natives have tried to resist to, they could accomplish that the USA acknowledged them as American citizens in the year 1924.Today they have the same rights as every other citizen of the United States, but unfortunately their material and cultural situation hasn’t changed enough till now.

Today

About 2.5 million Native Americans live in the USA today. Thirty percent of them are still living in reservations and almost 60% of all Natives have to live below the poverty line. Unemployment is another problem for the Indians because they don’t want to leave their traditions behind and move into a big city, but unfortunately there are only a few jobs in   reservations. The result of this conflict between tradition and a new world is that there are nearly 80% unemployed Natives. Most Indians are also badly paid and unskilled workers. A lot of Indians depend on the support by the state because of the named reasons.

So, it’s not unusual that many Indians are very hopeless today. This gets clear when one has a look at the suicide rates, which are higher than in other places. Some Indians try to reduce their problems by drinking alcohol and taking drugs. According to researchers from the University of Colorado at Denver five of the top ten causes of death among Native Americans are related to alcohol abuse and dependence and according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the alcohol-related rate among Native Americans was three times greater than among the general population.

Nonetheless, their lives have improved. Native Americans are better off than they were in the past. They get better education; some go to high school and some to college. There are Native Americans who work as lawyers, doctors or have other important jobs, but they still face a lot of problems in today’s America.

Tolerance for example is still an issue. Some whites don’t want to and don’t accept Indians in their society, just like they don’t accept Muslims or Latinos. They still think that they are superior and deserve it better.

Another aspect is respect. Respect to their culture, their identity and to themselves, which is still not usual in the American society.

All in all, although the state tries to support this part of its population, no one can deny that the Native Americans are still one of the most disadvantaged ethnic minorities in the United States of America, which has an effect on their way of thinking, their hopes and despair.