Indians Loss of Their Land

For the most part the United States government and wealthy easterners were responsible for the Indians losing their land. How and why they did this can be traced back to the first meetings white men had with Indians when they came to America. It is evident that Columbus met Indians when he first came to the North American continent and he found them friendly, but not until settlements were started at a later date can one really tell what the Indians intentions were. For example, when Henry Hudson came to Manhattan Island he was met by Indians carrying tobacco leaves for trade with the white men. Since the white men needed land the Indians traded the island for about $24 in beads and trinkets. While it is clear that the white traders were exploiting the Indians this

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ilize the Indian, put him in the midst of civilization. To keep him civilized, keep him there" (Dennis 41). It is clear that the easiest way, as far as Pratt saw it, to keep Indian lands away from them, was to keep Indians away from their land. Proof of this exists further in a ruling by then President Chester A. Arthur around 1881. At this time he declared an Executive Order that certain sections of land would be set aside as reservations for use by the Indians. The key word here is use. First of all,the lands were virtually worthless as far as farming or any other product,and secondly, their boundaries were unclear both to the tribes and to the white settlers. This was clearly the first government declared Joint Use Area. Arthur also made a ruling that "rites (and) custom . . . contrary to civilization" were prohibited as were "dances, religious rites and traditional rituals . . ." (Dennis 42). The link this has to the disappropriation of Indian lands lies in the white man's belief that if they could bring civilization to the Indians it would be easier to get their land away from them. In 1882 the Apache Indians of Arizona were fighting to keep their lands and a man by the name of General Crook was sent to the area t
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Approximate Word count = 1849
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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