Reformers and Re-educating the Indian

Running Head : American Indians

American Indian Studies

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Laws promulgated and implemented during the reformation , termination and relocation period were intended by the U . S . government to follow the process of enculturation . Policies were instigated to provide access to education , health care , job opportunities , and the prospect to serve the country through military servitude . The government was involved with reorganizing the political and social structure of society in to acclimatize to the presence of Indians with the condition that they follow all laws , rules , and regulations , and

carry out their roles as citizens of America . Awarding citizenship to Indians should have been a means to grant equal opportunity and rights to them however , this was not the case . Cultural relativity and ethnocentrism still dominated the minds of the whites , and this influenced their treatment and how they see Indians during that time

People still clung to the republican ways and favored Americans partially . This may be observed by the limited rights granted to Indians . It was intensified by the lack of initiative from the Indians to become one with the American culture . Some of the laws and policies of the government were not amenable to the Indian tribes . Their culture and its preservation are important to them , and they resist against the elimination or the disregard to their culture . This added fire to the indifference of Americans toward them . This caused changes in the laws and treatment to Indian tribes . There were always limitations to the political , economic , and cultural rights of Indians . Although they were given the privilege of court hearing for cases related to them , it was still dependent on the approval of the justice system . They were required to give up their lands in exchange for a certain amount of money . If they did not sell their lands , it will be transferred under the ownership of private companies . Their need for health care services was neglected because of their race . Indians were forced to live in a city not of their choosing . Overall , tribes who did not cooperate with the state were not distinguished as part of the government

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American Indians...