Native American Civil Rights

514 Words3 Pages

According to Rothenberg, in order to understand where American Indians stand today, it is important to at the historical developments of the concept of Indian rights along with the civil rights movement in this country. (501). Native Americans have been disregarded in terms of their decisions and are forced to conform to demands against their free will. Native Americans continue to be exploited through new practices and policies for a variety of reasons. The Kumeyaay have been in San Diego region for thousands of years yet, they are treated as though they are invisible both literally and in voice. According to Stan Rodriguez, there were 18 treaties that were almost ratified to restrict the Indian people but were already in affect despite …show more content…

“The Supreme Court decision of 1883 upheld Native American autonomy but Andrew Jackson refused to enforce it, but instead removed Native Americas from their land for white settlers. (Sanchez). Although, Native Americans considered themselves to be self-governing people, they were still being subjugated by the government. According to the presentation, Native Americans were not allowed to leave their land or else they would be sent away for six months and brought back to their reservation. (2016). By law Native Americans are U.S citizens and should be able to leave their reservation but their rights as people are not even considered. According to Stan, Native Americans are currently protesting the building of the oil pipeline and not only drones are sucking information from their devices but Native Americans among others are being locked in cages when they are arrested (2016). These practices violate Native Americans right’s as U.S citizens and once again their rights are being disregarded but their oppression still persists. “The legacy of racism permeates behavior and the behaviors creates classic civil rights violations” (Sanchez). Therefore, Native Americans need to protect their way of life by protecting their civil