Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the Native-American population is one of the most marginalized groups in American society. The paper relates that the government has treated the Native-American population as a separate and sovereign nation within the borders of the United States, while at the same time reducing their power and preventing it from thriving even in limited circumstances. The paper points out that any discussion of Native-Americans must recognize the variety of tribes in different parts of the country and the social and cultural elements that link them in opposition to the white society that pushed the Native-American out of one region after another. The paper concludes that the plight of the Native-American remains precarious as their culture is undermined and altered even today.

Outline:
Introduction
Early Period
Pre-Civil War
Twentieth Century
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Europeans were surprised at the mode of life of the Native Americans even as they saw that lifestyle to be antithetical to their own. For one thing, as shown in writings by the Europeans, they were consistent in their amazement at the personal liberty of the Indians and especially their freedom from rules and social classes based on the ownership of property, forces which governed the lives of the Europeans. This fact points to one difference between Europeans and Native Americans--Europeans "owned" property and saw the land as something to be possessed, while the Native Americans lived with nature and did not try to own it. The Indians used their resources for survival, while the Europeans sought more than this and developed a broad-based trade that depended on exploiting resources, including exploiting them for products they could sell to their home countries. Much of the history of the New World involved a clash between these values, with Europeans pushing the Indians off their land in order to exploit the resources and to assert ownership, as if God had given them the right to do this."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Andrew III, J.A. (1992). From Revivals to Removal. Athens, Georgia: The University of Georgia Press.
• Beard, C. & Beard, M. The Beards' New Basic History of the United States. Garden City, New York: Doubleday.
• Filler, L. & Guttmann A. (1962). Introduction. The Removal of the Cherokee Nation. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company.
• Henson, C.L. (1996). From war to self-determination. American Studies Today Online. Retrieved March 15, 2006 from http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/indians.htm.
• Jackson, A. (1962). The Condition and Ulterior Destiny of the Indian Tribes. In The Removal of the Cherokee Nation, L. Filler & A. Guttmann (eds.), 14-18. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company.

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