Uncovering Historical Crimes Against Indigenous Americans

Alpha
Nov 6, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Oct 1, 2024

The new movie directed by Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon” covers the systematic killings of the Osage Nation members, depicting with brutal honesty the scheming and betrayals of the white settlers that sought the oil-rich properties. As such, it has been praised for its existence, the fidelity with which it represents Native American culture, and the casting of Indigenous actors and actresses. Nevertheless, it has also been criticized for its brutality and lack of historical context. As a consequence, we at Politdigm considered that a brief, yet concise article covering the historical crimes committed against the indigenous tribes of the United States, might help cover a topic that is so often overlooked.

PHOTO CREDIT: Image by Salmonboy from Pixabay

Native American or Indian?

Before delving into the rest of the article, it is important to discuss to discover the correct terminology with which we will identify the members of the indigenous tribes of North America. Before European settlers arrived in the Americas, the indigenous people of the American continent, divided as they were, by great stretches of land and tribes, did not have a name that identified them all. Nevertheless, they were identified by European explorers as a whole and as “Indian”. As a consequence, the name has slowly been replaced, in modern times, by “Native American”. However, the term itself is not accepted by all that it tries to describe.

So, as a rule of thumb, it is most correct to refer to these indigenous people using their tribe. But, seeing as though this blog won’t cover a specific tribe, or number of tribes, focusing on the ethnic groups as a whole, the term that will be used through it will be, “Indian”. Seeing as though it is still utilized in history and geography, as well as the Tribal Governments and the United States Government.

The Early 19th Century and the Consequences of the American Revolution

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Indian population had been drastically reduced. Whilst the supposed number of individuals that inhabited the North American Continent before the arrival of Cristopher Columbo varies wildly from scholar to scholar, it is thought to be in the millions. But these numbers would drastically decrease in the following centuries. War, disease, and the occupation of Indian land taken about by the European settlers who sought the riches of this new continent killed millions of Indians. Many atrocities were committed towards the Indian population by these settlers, but it is often ignored the ones committed by those that would later found the United States of America [1].

During the American Revolution, tribes were often made to side either with the British or the American Revolutionaries. And resulting from better trade networks and a hope that they would allow the tribes to further expand and regain their lost territory, often led to them siding with the British, whilst a few sided with the Americans. As such, both powers warred with different tribes and committed horrible crimes against them. Crimes such as the massacre at Gnadenhutten saw American revolutionaries slaughter 96 pacifist Moravian Christian Indians, many of whom were women and children, and all of whom were unarmed. Both unable and unwilling to fight back [2].

After the Revolution was won, the newly formed United States signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which, besides being a recognition of their independence in the eyes of the French and British, also transferred the possession of British territories, which held land occupied by the Indians, to the Americans. No tribes were contacted or informed of the purchase, which now gave the United States legal rights over these lands.

Relocation and Treaties

After receiving ownership over the lands occupied by the Indian tribes, the American Government decided that instead of barbarically conquering the land, much like the colonial powers that preceded them, would be uncivilized of them. As such, the lands were to be bought with treaties. However, these treaties, even when agreed upon by both parties, were violated. The land was taken from the tribes as settlers pushed them further and further into reservations, breaking the terms by which the treaties had been signed. And if they weren’t signed, violence would ensue. In the end, much of the land that was supposed to be of Indian ownership and under Indian occupation was occupied by settlers.

The problem only aggravated in the following decades, as the cotton industry grew, many southern farmers sought the land owned by the Indian tribes, as they presented favorable conditions for cotton farms. And as disputes over territory that were rightful of Indian ownership grew, it all culminated in the Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed by Andrew Jackson which saw to the displacement of Indian tribes to the west of the Mississippi. Into a piece of land dubbed the “Indian Territories”, which would become part of Oklahoma.

The displacement of these tribes was brutal. Made to walk on their own to these territories, covering hundreds of kilometers through terrible weather conditions, with no assistance from the American Government. It is not known how many Indians died during this long walk, but it is estimated that the number ranged between ten thousand and seventeen thousand. It would be named “The Trail of Tears” [3] [4].

The “Indian Territories”

After the relocation of thousands of Indians to the “Indian Territories”, other tribes from across the United States followed suit. The territory itself was divided and organized to accommodate the different tribes. And it is as a result of those processes, where hundreds of tribes with different languages, cultures, and costumes were dumped into a piece of land, and labeled “Indian”, that they are historically and legally referred to as such.

Nevertheless, the promises made by the United States government that these lands would be solely of Indian ownership rapidly became void, as settlers raced (quite literally, races were held) to attempt to claim ownership over a part of unoccupied land in the center of the Indian Territories. The result was a breach of the borders given to the different tribes, as more and more settlers installed their homes and communities on land that was legally Indian. And the response of the Government wasn’t to kick out said settlers and reestablish the territory as rightfully Indian but to divide it in half, grid it and allow the Indian tribes which occupied certain blocks, to keep living in said block, whilst the rest was pawned of to more and more settlers.

As time passed, the number of settlers began to outnumber that of the Indian population, with the “5 civilized tribes” which consisted of the Cherokee Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole [5], remaining as the inhabitants of the remaining “Indian Territory”. But they would not remain for long, as in 1896, a law was passed that abolished all tribal governments by 1906. In response, the “5 civilized tribes” came together and devised a proposal and constitution to establish the State of Sequoyah [6], which would be Indian in government in an attempt to preserve any form of sovereignty.

The proposal wasn’t even heard in Congress, and all tribal rule was abolished in 1906. Two years later, the “Indian Territories” were dissolved, and their land was repurposed into the state of Oklahoma. With its Constitution is nearly word for word, equal to the proposed constitution for the State of Sequoyah [7]. In the end, a small chunk was reserved for the Indian people to rule for themselves, with said land being the land of the Osage tribe [8].

Conclusion

The story of the horrible crimes committed against the Indian people is often swept under a rug, to present a shining story of the noble fight for the independence and founding of the United States. The truth is that the land currently occupied by said states was owned by people who lived and occupied these territories for thousands of years. Before they were discovered by the rest of the world, and claimed by Europeans. Many other crimes were committed against these people to try to eradicate and assimilate them within the States. Crimes such as the boarding schools were created to snuff out any form of cultural identity of Indian children. Many of them were kidnapped from their families and tribes, never to see them again [9].

The modern world is in many senses, built upon the blood of innocents. But it is unforgivable to try and forget our past, in favor of a more “palatable” narrative. Many effects of these barbaric and inhumane actions and policies are felt to this day, through generations. The least one can do is to remember the past so it may never be repeated.

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