Should U.S. Government apologize For American Indian Holocaust?
In past years the U.S. Government has made it a point to apologize for it's action against other groups of Americans like African Americans and Japanese Americans. So one would think our federal government would have no problem apologizing to American Indians on paper. That's not true in this case.
While the U.S. government is waging a war world wide against terrorists, it's own past history has to be dealt with concerning it's actions against American Indians. Senator Brownback of Kansas re-introduced a resolution (S. J. RES. 4) calling for an apology from the federal government for it's long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies. Senator Brownback's bill is backed up by congresswoman Jo Ann Davis of Virginia with house resolution (H. J. RES. 3).
In past years the U.S. Government has made it a point to apologize for it's action against other groups of Americans like African Americans and Japanese Americans. So one would think our federal government would have no problem apologizing to American Indians on paper. That's not true in this case.
Senator Brownback's apology resolution was before the U.S. Senate in 2004 but no action was taken. In 2006 the Senate Indian Affairs passed the resolution out of committee placing it on the senate calendar for a vote by the full senate, that's as far as it went that year.
The American Indian community stands united with all Americans in defense of our home land. American Indians have no problem telling it like it is; they endured a holocaust. To them the Indian holocaust started with an invasion committed by Columbus. Without the support of Indian nations America, as we know it today, may not have come about.
After European Americans won "their independence" the federal government embarked on a path to take away American Indians' independence. The federal government set the tone that Indians were a problem (enemy) to contend with for the new country. Over time the federal government made hundreds of treaties with Indian nations. Every one of them was broken by the federal government.
Laws were passed by state and city governments against Indians. Indians could only enter a town to trade their goods. Indians had to use "Black Only" bathrooms and water fountains; they had to be out of town by sunset so there was no need to have the word Indian added. Indians had to request permission of a state government to cross it's border, with the understanding they were to do so only to cross the state, not stay in it.
When one looks at the darkest history of U.S. policies against Indians, we see that bounties were placed on Indian scalps, and massacres were legal. Hanging Indians, for whatever reason, was the norm. History note: President Lincoln oversaw the hanging of 38 Indian men. Three hundred three men were condemned to be hung, but Lincoln was concerned with how this would play out with European nations. This event, in Mankato, Minnesota, December 16, 1862, was the largest mass hanging in America's history. Now what was the U.S. Civil War about?
More of Americas dark history toward Indians played out at Indian Boarding Schools for kids, (1878-1930s) Their job was to kill the "Indian" in them. Forty percent of Native American women accessing care through the U.S. Indian Health Service in the 1970s were sterilized against their will.
Maybe, just maybe, in the year 2007 the U.S. Government will deal with the question of whether or not it should apologize to the American Indian peoples. That's one hatchet the federal government is finding hard to bury.
Mike Graham is a citizen of the Oklahoma Cherokee Nation, a retired service connected disabled Army veteran. Founded United Native America in 1993 to form a national group to take action on American Indian issues. The groups main issue is to bring about a federal national holiday for Native Americans. United Native America's motto is, "Standing up for America and the American Indian community."
Graham has been a guest speaker on national and international radio talk shows to include television programs concerning Indian community issues, his reports on Indian issues have been published in newspapers all over America. He has traveled across the country discussing issues with Indian nation leaders, he has presented Indian issues at college's and high schools.
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