Was there a chance of co-existence? That’s the big question that is asked when studying Indian-White relations during this period. Was it profit that doomed the Native Americans? Was it racism? Was it a symptom of power, where technology provides an advantage from one side to another? Let’s see.
THE GOALS OF INDIAN POLICY (291) What were the goals, implicit and explicit? Think of it as a question of ends and means. Was assimilation an end or a means towards an end? What about treaty arrangements? Was it only about the land? The other question is whether one policy or another changes with the wind. In other words, was there a consistency of policy or were policies politically expedient, depending on circumstances?
Your text also talks about one of the most effective weapons against Native American tribes: rum. Then there’s the factory system, or trading posts. Finally, Christianizing the Native Americans. Oh, there’s education too. Let’s see if I get this right: assimilation, treaties, trading posts, rum, education, missionaries, etc. All in an attempt to reduce the Native Americans to a non-threat on the frontier? Or some other objective? What was the real goal? What do you think?
STRATEGIES OF SURVIVAL: THE IROQUOIS AND THE CHEROKEE (295) What is their solution? Assimilation, full steam ahead, and it doesn’t work. But there’s another message here. It’s about the nature of democracy and power – and how the two relate to one another. Is it possible that the Cherokee could have asserted their natural born rights against the will of the majority, or does democracy only mean that those in power have authority?
PATTERNS OF ARMED RESISTANCE: THE SHAWNEE AND THE CREEK (296) There are different stories here with the same end, but one of the most perplexing is that of the Cherokee helping Jackson fight against their enemies, the Creek, at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. It was the largest slaughter of Native Americans in US History and Jackson would not have won without the help of the Cherokee. Why would they do this? Was Pan-Native Americanism a complete myth? The deeper issue in the history of human relations is the ethical question of doing what you believe to be right versus saving yourself. Are there other examples of this in US History?
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