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This Episode:
/u/Snapshot52 discusses Federal Indian Policy in the United States, with a particular focus on the Termination Era of the mid-20th Century. The evolution of how the Federal government approached sometimes disparate goals of exclusion and assimilation, as well as Tribal sovereignty, over the decades are covered from pre-Dawes Act to the current day. (69min)
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Hey all! I really appreciate the opportunity to be on the podcast and explain a section of history that I believe needs to be examined way more.
There are some additional points I'd like to bring out regarding Termination, though that will have to wait a bit. But if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability! And don't forget to join us over on /r/IndianCountry as well for Native American Heritage Month where we are hosting a bunch of AMAs and community discussions. This week is actually about the Federal Indian Policy.
Hi! This was a great episode.
You talked briefly about the 1871 act that essentially negated all existing treaties with Indian nations and tribes. Were there any constitutional challenges to that? It sounds sort of questionably legal to just declare a bunch of treaties no longer in effect.
Special thanks to Eric Hacke, Will Raybould, Elm, Jonathan Wallace, Charles-Eric Lemelin, Andrew Stead, William Ryan, Stuart Gorman, Daniel Schmidt, Bill Rubin, Sarah Gilbert, Mark Katerberg, Vlad, and Max M. for their generous support of the podcast through the AskHistorians Patreon. And thanks to all our new supporters as well!
And a big big thanks to /u/snapshot52 for his time, effort, and willingness to dig through (always thrilling!) 19th Century governmental legislation.
Thanks /u/Snapshot52 for this fascinating episode!
As a social anthropologist (although not an US-based one), I wondered, while listening to the episode, if there was any systematic outrage or denouncing, either by anthropologists or other non-Indian people, of the mistreatment and legal abuse that Native peoples and tribes were suffering under the government?
Also, were there any attempts by the Native peoples to directly influence - either inside or outside the legal system (e.g. proposing bills, getting media coverage, rioting, protesting, etc) - the policies you talked about in the episode?
Does the podcast talk about what the Confederate States intended to do with the Indian Territory in case of victory, and if its policy towards Indians was different in any way from the Union?
How did the Dawes Act affect Indian water rights, especially in light of Winters v. United States? Were reservation claims on water rights vigorously pursued by those who got the "surplus" reservation lands or was Winters more or less ignored at the time?