The Transformation of the “Indian Problem” :: Essays Papers

The Transformation of the â€Å"Indian Problem† In this paper, I plan to examine the marked transformation and the history of the so-called â€Å"Indian Problem.† The idea of an â€Å"Indian Problem† began with the arrival of white settlers in North America, and for them, it was a problem of safety, security, and land acquisition. Around 1890, the â€Å"Indian Problem† became an issue of how to help the Indians go extinct humanely, or to assimilate into white culture. The current conception of the â€Å"Indian Problem† started after World War II, and the pursuing civil rights movement. People saw that the Indians weren’t going extinct and that they were keeping their cultures alive, and the â€Å"Indian Problem† shifted to undoing the damage that the policies of the federal government had caused. I will be discussing the fact that the profound problems which characterize the â€Å"Indian Problem† now are a direct result of the actions taken in response to previous conception s of the â€Å"Indian Problem.† The â€Å"Indian Problem† emerged as an issue for white settlers who perceived Indians as savages, as a sub-human race. Because white settlers viewed Indians this way, they thought it was okay to use excessive military force. Through 19th century, this military force was used to conquer Indians and move them from their native lands and resettle them. Sicknesses that the white settlers had brought with them devastated the Indian population because Indians had not encountered these illnesses before, and they had no natural immunity to them. Additionally, white-Indian relations seem as though they were fragile from the start, perhaps with both sides over-reacting at times. Leaders of the new English colonies often used aggression and murder to try to intimidate the Indians into submission, and into giving food to the English. Angered at this treatment, Indians began fighting back, and killing, too. In some instances, the white settlers raided and stole food from the India ns. This worsened the already fractured relations between the two groups. Unprovoked attacks and kidnaping alternated with friendship and trade. From their experiences, Indians realized that these early Europeans were powerful and dangerous people who could not be trusted. However, the Indians had the advantage of sheer numbers and an understanding of the land. For the English, their experiences strengthened their idea that they were superior to these â€Å"savages† in many ways, including culture, technology, societal organization and religion.