Native Americans Vs. American Settlers' Rights Analytical Essay by Nicky

Native Americans Vs. American Settlers' Rights
This paper discusses how the Native Americans' rights were overshadowed by the American Colonists' rights.
# 147151 | 1,130 words | 6 sources | APA | 2010 | US
Published on Feb 27, 2011 in African-American Studies (Civil Rights)


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Description:

This paper focuses on three human rights which were denied to Native Americans but offered to the American Colonists. The three rights discussed in depth are declared in the Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Colonial Rights and the United States Constitution. The rights are the Right to Life and Liberty, Freedom of Religion and the Right of Property. The paper concludes by questioning if these rights have always been equally applied.

From the Paper:

"As important or more important than life to many Native Americans were their religions, many of which had been handed down and practiced by generations of families and tribes. In this continent that was established with freedom of religion in mind, American settlers were sure to include a right of the freedom of religion in their constitution. While this right applied to American settlers, who engaged in a variety of religions, from Puritanism to Deism, and spoke freely about them in publications and public forums. Native Americans, on the other hand, were denied their freedom of religion. American settlers saw Native American religions as uncivilized, so they encouraged missionaries to convert the tribes. Missionaries can be both beneficial and harmful to a culture. Some come excited to help the people through manpower and certain forms of scientific, academic, or medical knowledge, presenting their religion with love, and allowing the people to choose whether or not that religion is acceptable. Most of the American settlers, however, did not treat the Native Americans this way. Instead, they forced them to assimilate into European culture, even taking children away from parents, assigning missionaries to the reservations where the Native Americans had been forced, and often punished those who wavered from the teachings of Christianity ("History of Missions" n.d.). Although many Native Americans did eventually convert to Christianity, and some say that their religions were able to coincide with Christianity, the fact remains that freedom of religion was not extended to this group. Instead, they were forced to assimilate to the American settlers' ideas of religion. While freedom of religion was given to American settlers, then, it was denied to Native Americans, sometimes to the point of physically forcing this group to testify a change in beliefs."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • "Declaration of Colonial Rights: Resolutions of the First Continental Congress." Constitution.org. http://www.constitution.org/bcp/colright.htm (accessed February 20, 2008).
  • "History of Missions." n.d. Berkley Graduate School of Journalism. http://journalism.berkeley.edu/projects/nm/julia/history.html (accessed February 20, 2008).
  • "Immigration: Native Amerian." 2003. American Memory form the Library of Congress. http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/native_american2.html (accessed February 20, 2008).
  • "Indian Removal." N.d. PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2959.html
  • Jefferson, Thomas. 1776. The Declaration of Independence. U.S. History.Org. http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/index.htm (accessed February 20, 2008).

Cite this Analytical Essay:

APA Format

Native Americans Vs. American Settlers' Rights (2011, February 27) Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/native-americans-vs-american-settlers-rights-147151/

MLA Format

"Native Americans Vs. American Settlers' Rights" 27 February 2011. Web. 29 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/native-americans-vs-american-settlers-rights-147151/>

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