Native lands - Jorell Singfield

I've considered myself to be very knowledgeable about American history for years now. I enjoy constantly explaining random history facts to my friends and co workers because I'm proud of knowing these things. However this weeks reading have blindsided me because I knew absolutely nothing about environmental history and the Native Americans relation to it. I knew generally about things like the trail of tears and the many different conflicts with the Native Americans as the United States moved further and further to the west. The reading that stood out most to me was the "Whose land is it really." History classes often glaze over the harsh and unfair relationship between the United States and the Native Americans. It shouldn't be right for the government to just move into lands that have been occupied for centuries and just move people out and take over the land. Moving those indigenous people like the Paiutes 350 miles away into a small reservation not only must have been extremely emotionally distressing but the article also mentioned that the land suffered as well as grazing lands went away as large livestock operations moved in and the rivers were diverted in order to irrigate more arid areas upstream. Only when the bird population became over-hunted did activist groups ask then President Theodore Roosevelt to protect the land and he agreed. So the treatment of birds got the group's attention but not the treatment of real human people. The treatment of Native Americans in this era was similar to the treatment of African Americans during the times of slavery. They were treated and seen as less than human and they are still being affected by the mistreatment and trauma they suffered generations ago.

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