Native American Genocide Essay Example for Free

Native American Genocide Essay When people think of genocide, there are many different examples that may run through their heads. An important example of genocide that came about during World War II was Adolf Hitler’s attempt to eliminate people of the Jewish faith. This example may be the most prominent in history, but it may not have been the earliest. Many think that genocides only occur in foreign countries, but in fact, one of the first genocides known to man took place in the soil we are currently standing on. When colonists first came to America, they thought they were discovering new land. Contrary to their belief, they were actually attempting to take over land that was already inhabited by people with their own way of life. What happened after that is described as â€Å"an American Holocaust† (Lewy). It is evident that a myriad of death and destruction came to Native American tribes when the colonist explorers and settlers arrived. The mass obliteration of the Native American population from an estimated 12 million in 1500 to barely 237,000 in 1900 represents a tragic genocide. The definition of genocide, according to The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy Third Edition, is â€Å"the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group†. According to this definition, what happened to the Native Americans is genocide because it was deliberate and premeditated. Sir Jeffrey Amherst, commander-in-chief of Colonists forces in North America, wrote the following to Colonel Henry Bouquet at Fort Pitt: You will do well to try to inoculate the Indians with smallpox by means of blankets, as well as to try every other method, that can serve to extirpate this execrable race. Between 75 to 90 percent of all Native American deaths resulted from smallpox (Halverson). Therefore, the Colonists were not oblivious to the spread of smallpox throughout the Native American population. In fact, they were the ones who deliberately planned to exterminate the Native American race by the use of biological warfare, an obvious act of genocide. In addition, The Indian Removal Act of 1830 also led to a great reduction in the Native American population. â€Å"The treaty began the incredible but deadly move of over 70,000 Native Americans within the span of ten years which resulted in over 3,000 tribes alone dying during the move† (Lewy). This indicates that the Colonists were attempting to eradicate the Native American race, proving that what has happened is a form of genocide. In opposition to this, some may argue that the colonists were truly oblivious to the spread of smallpox and that as soon as they came to know about it they tried to stop it. When President Thomas Jefferson heard about the disease, he started a vaccination program. This program vaccinated over 200,000 Native Americans (Coodey). They were not trying to use biological warfare and kill the Natives; moreover, the colonist really cared that the Native Americans became sick and did all they could do to try to help them. Also, when The Indian Removal Act was enacted, President Andrew Jackson promised the protection of tribes from all outside forces while they were going to the newly designated land. The act also guaranteed aid for those who were moving and needed help in doing so. Also it said that the Colonists army will help the Native Americans in any way possible (Coodey). This shows that the Colonists were really concerned about the Native Americans well-being throughout the trip. Since the colonists tried to help the Native Americans and it wasn’t deliberate or systematic, what happened to the Native Americans does not represent as a form of genocide. Refuting the opposition made above, contrary to popular belief, President Andrew Jackson had all the Native Americans fooled. There was something in the treaty that the Native Americans might have overlooked. It stated in the treaty that â€Å"if the Indians become extinct, or abandon, the same lands shall revert to the United States† (Delema). This proves that President Jackson somehow knew that the Native Americans will get killed during the journey, as if he had planned something to happen. Also, the Trail of Tears isn’t the only way that they tried to kill the Native Americans; the colonists were greedy for land and grew less tolerant of the Natives standing in their way. When Texas entered the union, the colonists really wanted the land and wanted the Native Americans to emigrate out of Texas. Colonists continually went onto their lands and continually killed many people. In 1859, after a system of reservations failed, Native Americans were finally forced out of Texas (Delema). I would say that the Colonists went to large extremities to annihilate the Native Americans which represents as a form of genocide. Another example is on a Tribal level, rather than state, which occurred in 1877 with the Nez Perce Tribe. Approximately 750 members of the Nez Perce tribe were forced to move to designated reservations under orders of General Howard. The Nez Perce fled to Montana where they thought that they would be safe from Howard. Once they were settled, Colonel John Gibbon took orders from Howard to carry on an attack on the tribe with the intention of wiping them out, not just relocating them. Gibbon issued a surprise attack which left numerous dead (Highberger). This is a form of genocide because it was systematic, since he was ordered and the attack was carried out by a commander, and it was deliberate, since they had planned to intentionally kill them. In conclusion what happened to the Native Americans is a form of genocide because it was a deliberate and systematic death and destruction of the Native Americanswhich does fall under the definition of genocide. The history of Native Americans tells us that it can be determined as a form of genocide cause by the Colonists settlers since what they did was premeditated. While we cannot go back in time, we can learn from the mistakes and learn tolerance from history. This can help us realize that not only does this go on in other nations, it may also occur on America’s homeland. Works Cited Coodey, Shorey â€Å"The Trail of Tears and the Forced Relocation of the Cherokee Nation† Trail of Tears: The Rise and Fall of the Cherokee Nation (2006): 351. Proquest. Web. May 22, 2012. genocide. The American Heritage ® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 21 May. 2012. . Halverson, Melissa â€Å"Native American during the Smallpox Epidemics: an Evolution. †ABO Blood Group Frequencies in Pre-European Contact America: An Ancient DNA Analysis(2007). NCWiseOwl. Web. May 22, 2012. Highberger, Mark â€Å"Nez Perce War. † American History (2006). NCWiseOwl. Web. May 22, 2012 Lewy, Guenter â€Å"Were American Indians the Victims of Genocide? † A Century of Dishonor (2007). ProQuest. Web. May 22, 2012.