. Introduction
The United States of America is a country whose history has been shaped by immigration. Nevertheless, one should not forget that the native people of America, including Eskimos, Aleuts and American Indians) contributed to what is now known as the United States. Interestingly, American Indians have been treated in history often like one of the other minority and immigrant groups. It is, however, obvious that American Indians have a special status within the United States because they are the indigenous people of the continent and in contrast to other ethnic minority groups they experienced the European settlement in the “New World” right from the beginning.
This paper will deal with the history of American Indians from 1941 to the present. This is supposed to be a rather contemporary view on American Indians in the U.S. society, since there have been a large number of studies concerning the American Indian past. The year 1941 marked an important date for the whole globe: It was the beginning of World War II, which changed the worldwide status quo. Due to this war, the Unites States became the world’s most powerful nation in terms of military, economy, and policy. This development has had of course an impact on the U.S. society with its entire people – the white European population, the Afro-American population, the Asian population, etc. During this process, the United States became the modern society we all know now, and for this reason the situation changed for minority groups, too In this paper, the focus will be on the status of American Indians in the U.S. society and their ethnic identity, but it will also be questioned if and how American Indians show their ties to the United States as their mother country.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. Introduction
- II. Historical Review
- II.1. The First Encounters
- II.2. 1783-1887 Conquest, Removal and Relocation
- II.3. 1887-1928 Allotment and Assimilation
- II.4. 1928-1945 Tribal Restoration
- III. Federal Policy regarding American Indians after the Second Word War.
- III.1. Termination
- III.2. The Way to Self-Determination
- IV. The Legal Rights of American Indians
- IV.1. Civil Liberties
- IV.1.1. American Citizenship.
- IV.1.2. Voting Rights
- IV.2. American Indian Religious Freedom
- IV.3. The Rights to Basic Governmental Services.
- IV.3.1. Eligibility for Educational Benefits.
- IV.3.2. Eligibility for Social Service Benefits
- IV.1. Civil Liberties
- V. Native American Contemporary problems
- V.1. Poverty.
- V.2. Health Problems
- V.3. Education
- VI. Ethnic Renewal
- VI.1. American Indian Activism since the 1960s.
- VI.1.1. The Fish-Ins
- VI.1.2. The Red Power Movement.
- VI.2. Repatriation
- VI.2.1. The Revival of American Indian Religions.
- VI.2.2. The Revival of Traditional American Indian Languages.
- VI.3. American Indian Identity or American Identity?!
- VI.1. American Indian Activism since the 1960s.
- VII. Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to examine the history of American Indians in the United States from 1941 to the present, focusing on their contemporary status and ethnic identity. The paper also questions the extent to which American Indians identify with the United States as their mother country.
- The impact of World War II on the status of American Indians in the U.S.
- The evolution of federal policies towards American Indians, including termination and self-determination.
- The legal rights and challenges faced by American Indians in the United States.
- Contemporary issues such as poverty, health problems, and education.
- The emergence of ethnic renewal movements and the revival of traditional American Indian culture.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- I. Introduction: This chapter provides a brief overview of the historical context of American Indians in the United States, emphasizing their unique status as the indigenous people of the continent. It also introduces the paper's focus on the period from 1941 to the present.
- II. Historical Review: This section provides a historical overview of American Indian experiences in the United States, covering key periods such as the First Encounters, Conquest, Removal and Relocation, Allotment and Assimilation, and Tribal Restoration.
- III. Federal Policy regarding American Indians after the Second Word War.: This section explores the significant shift in federal policy towards American Indians following World War II, examining the controversial termination policy and the subsequent move towards self-determination.
- IV. The Legal Rights of American Indians: This chapter focuses on the legal rights and challenges faced by American Indians, including their citizenship, voting rights, religious freedom, and access to basic governmental services.
- V. Native American Contemporary problems: This chapter examines contemporary challenges faced by American Indians, such as poverty, health disparities, and educational inequalities.
- VI. Ethnic Renewal: This section highlights the emergence of ethnic renewal movements among American Indians, particularly focusing on the Fish-Ins, the Red Power Movement, the revival of traditional religions and languages, and the evolving concept of American Indian identity.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on the history, status, and identity of American Indians in the United States, with particular emphasis on the period following World War II. Key themes include: American Indian history, federal policy, legal rights, contemporary issues, ethnic renewal, self-determination, termination, poverty, health disparities, education, activism, cultural revitalization, and identity.
- Quote paper
- Stephanie Machate (Author), 2005, A view on American Indians in the United States from World War II to the present, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75832
