So far the sources I have gathered are mostly the history around when Natives weren’t citizens, and when they were. What so of events lead up to this, how they were treated before hand, and some things about their treatment after becoming citizens.
The main question I would like to answer after doing this research is: What did the indigenous lose when they became citizens?
In addition to this, I would also like to answer: How have they been recovering their lost culture? Especially the smaller tribes that may only show up as a miniature name on the map. What it takes to be a tribe/nation such as the Cherokee Nation is recognized by the Government.
Two sources I have are from the same website, for one is the entire history of the Natives, the other is a page about the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Both of these have been extremely informative to understand the status of Natives before and after they became citizens. Also, there is a lot of history I would like to learn in advance before really going into this project. The events that lead up to the government granting citizenship, who were the ones accepted before it was an overreaching law. Apparently, friendlier tribes were welcomed as citizens in the 1800s. This source is mostly going to be used to bring an informed approach to how indigenous were accepted.
“.” History behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 FEB. 2021 .,” February 22, 2021. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/energy-government-and-defense-magazines/native-americans-centuries-struggle-north-america.
“.” Dictionary of American HISTORY. . Encyclopedia.com. 18 FEB. 2021 .,” February 22, 2021. https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/political-science-and-government/us-government/bureau-indian-affairs.
Another source I have is an article about the lasting impacts of the war of 1812. This is to highlight the things Natives were forced to get rid of, how things such as their languages were being forced out of them. It is informative about the conditions that were being put on the Natives to be rid of their traditions.
Hemenway, Eric, and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. “Native Nations Face the Loss of Land and Traditions (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/negotiating-identity.htm.
I have yet to read it fully, but I have recently found things on the Dawes Act of 1887. “The federal government aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream US society by encouraging them towards farming and agriculture, which meant dividing tribal lands into individual plots. Only the Native Americans who accepted the division of tribal lands were allowed to become US citizens. This ended in the government stripping over 90 million acres of tribal land from Native Americans, then selling that land to non-native US citizens.”
“The Dawes Act (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Accessed February 22, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/dawes-act.htm.
I think it is important to learn about the road to citizenship that the Natives were put on, the acts for it, the laws and preventions if there are any more. It is a tense topic but I also want to go into the different voting laws that were put into place. I know that it was up to local governments if the Natives could vote in their areas. Yet, I really need to focus and narrow myself back down to my main question.
What did they lose? How have they regained? What it takes to be a tribe again?