This book did a great job in doing what it intended to do. Its goal, I believe, was to shed light on the atrocities and injustices done upon the Native American people, spreading across various tribes. Using multiple primary sources, the author is able to bring accounts of witnesses and quotes forward to prove the points that he wishes to. The objective that the author has made is made clear in the introduction of the book. Dee Brown states in reference to what readers come away with: “ They may learn something about their own relationships to the earth from a people who were true conservationists.” This gives some insight into what he was thinking in terms of what he wanted the reader to come away with. I believe Dee wanted people to become more aware with Native Americans and their way of life, as well as to become more aware of the awful actions done unto them by the American people and U.S. government. It isn’t just to come away with better understanding of a history of the west, but also to generate more sympathy for Native Americans today, too. He claims that if a reader ever sees the squalor and poverty accompanying a modern day Indian reservation (albeit times may have changed today), then they can truly understand the reasons why. The facts that lie within the book …show more content…
Whether this is because of my own White American bias coming from watching Hollywood westerns, I’m not sure. I thought of my own bias and realized the bias from so many others throughout history. Many people during the late 19th century were even more bigoted and biased than I and many others are today. Along with this and the nature of the terrible things done to Native Americans, it is more than fair for their side of the story to be told, even if it is taken from a little bias, if there even is any to begin
In order to support his reasoning in his claim he refers a lot to his personal experiences instead of elaborating more on facts and research. the authors intention was to educate and share the story of the Navajo but there are certain excerpts that share his opinion when talking about a timeline. It’s a concept of over sharing, he shares a lot with the readers and some of it isn’t even related to the subject at hand. The author could reach efficacy when talking about the Navajos and their involvement with the war but the fact that he shares his personal accounts debunks the credibility he has as a
In the book written by James W. Loewen, Loewen studies the biases of an ordinary history class, beginning each chapter with quotes from various historical figures. Loewen indicates that the root of the problems Loewen discusses comes from the history textbook itself. This being said the textbook gives a dull, culturally biased description of the past, often alienating readers such as Latinos, Native Americans, and African Americans. Throughout Loewen’s chapter four, there are many ways in which Loewen discusses the Native Americans to be talked about more highly than the Natives should be. The Native Americans were talked about in many negative ways, and the Natives are said to have been “lied about” more often than any other portion of the
During this chapter it showed how Columbus was the starting point into the beginning of wars with the Indians. He shows how all the people such as Columbus, Cortes, Pizarro, and the English settlers have overcome with power and destroyed villages and took slaves. It all ended in bloodshed. I do agree with Zinn’s point of view. It is
He draws from archival research and primary sources to construct a vivid and comprehensive narrative of the violence inflicted upon Native American communities during this time. Massacres, forced relocation, and the deliberate destruction of Native American culture and livelihoods have been very meticulously documented in this book, painting a grim picture of the extent of the genocide. One of the strengths of Madley's work lies in his very detailed research. He thoroughly examines a wide range of sources, including government records, newspaper articles, and first-hand testimonies, such as their journals, to piece together the historical events that had taken place. By utilizing a multifaceted approach, Madley presents a well constructed understanding of the genocide, exploring its political, social, and cultural
When I read this I wanted to do more research, and I came across an article where spoilers would take over the land where the Native land was and start building, but what I found was they built a school and the army general was the teacher and he said “kill the Indian, and save the Man,” I was really mad because there was nothing these people could do. I found part of the article “http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4929/." This article is really interesting because it I 've glimpse of history and the destruction and influence man have done to other
Don’t let people talk about your region, when they are not from that region and criticize your country and offend you in someway. The author John Smelcer has been criticizing or stereotyping native americans, and i think he has no right to be writing about a Native American because he has not been born in and description of characters might irritate the native americans which would give a bad reputation for him and his book. I understand that people might say it’s fine because he is adopted by Native American parents , but that does not mean that he himself can write about Native American. In a way that would bother them. But there is no reason to put the Natives in the book ,“The Great Death” as if they are new to the world and never new anything because he is basically stereotyping.
While I was reading chapter two I wasn't surprised with how the whites were treating the Native Americans I was just shocked with what they did to them. First they were told which half of the bay to live in. The whites wanted the area that was farmable to be for them while the Native Americans lives in the swaps, but that didn't seem to stop the whites for eventually wanting that land too. The whites would steal the land from the Native Americans because they would just happen to forget to write who the land belonged to down. This happened more on purpose so that the whites could get more of the land.
Countless Indians died from the conflict, their enemy had more soldiers and weapons than them. Nonetheless the biggest issues wasn’t the soldiers or weapons it was actually the disease the Europeans brought over, and unforgiving environments. There was a quote by Lakota chief sitting bull in the exhibit that said “if the white men take my country, where can I do?’. The Indians were taken from their homes and Im sure the thought back then was, “how would they make up for what was taken from them, how would they be able to make themselves whole again?”
Throughout history it is hardly ever mentioned how ethically wrong Americans treated the Indian people. The Text Chief Joseph Speaks shares the point of view of westward expansion for the Indians. History is contradicted between the famous and the common
However for people who want in-depth knowledge about the Native Americans there are more suitable, detailed books available. Overall, it is a good summary and review of the Native Americans being removed and their journey to the reserve in Oklahoma. Wallace simplifies the entire timeline of events into a worthwhile
This land has been enriched over centuries. One of the most important thing is that he talks a lot about the different Cherokee chiefs throughout the book. From John Ridge to John Ross and explaining the process they did to deal with the problem of removal. This book gives some strong argument and very good explaining about what happened in the removal of the Cherokee tribe by providing explanation and justifiable proof. Even though the author made excellent claims, we notice a little confusion there.
Merrell’s article proves the point that the lives of the Native Americans drastically changed just as the Europeans had. In order to survive, the Native Americans and Europeans had to work for the greater good. Throughout the article, these ideas are explained in more detail and uncover that the Indians were put into a new world just as the Europeans were, whether they wanted change or
Throughout history, there have been many literary studies that focused on the culture and traditions of Native Americans. Native writers have worked painstakingly on tribal histories, and their works have made us realize that we have not learned the full story of the Native American tribes. Deborah Miranda has written a collective tribal memoir, “Bad Indians”, drawing on ancestral memory that revealed aspects of an indigenous worldview and contributed to update our understanding of the mission system, settler colonialism and histories of American Indians about how they underwent cruel violence and exploitation. Her memoir successfully addressed past grievances of colonialism and also recognized and honored indigenous knowledge and identity.
Petalesharo’s writing reflected the treatment of Native Americans during the 1800s. Being a Native American himself, Petalesharo was able to give perspective on a point in history typically viewed from a white man’s opinion. The excerpt “Petalesharo” explains how the Native American was able “to prevent young women captured by other tribes from being sacrificed”, making Petalesharo well liked by the Americans (588). Petalesharo gave the “Speech of the Pawnee Chief” infront of Americans to convey the differences between Native Americans and Americans through emotion, logic, and credibility, which showed how the two groups will never be the same, but still can coexist in the world together.
In Life Among the Piutes, sarah winnemucca hopkins describes what happens when soldiers came to their reservation based off what white settlers tell the government. The most shocking instance of this happened when Winnemucca encountered a group of soldier who told her the white settlers accused the natives of stealing cattle, “the soldiers rode up to their [meaning the Piute’s] encampment and fired into it, and killed almost all the people that were there… after the soldiers had killed but all bur some little children and babies… the soldiers took them too… and set the camp on fire and threw them into the flames to see them burned alive”(78). This is an abhorrent act that is unthinkable in a functioning society. The natives had done nothing but want to hold some shred of land from the settlers who had taken everything from them and are exterminated like vermin. This was something that stayed hidden from many white settlers because of its barbarism and by exposing it Winnemucca truly educates the reader, past and present, on how natives are