The U.S. Policy toward Native Americans in the 19th Century Article

The U.S. Policy toward Native Americans in the 19th Century - Article Example Similarly, President Jackson instigated forced resettlement of Native American tribes from the Southeast to the west of the Mississippi River. He ensured the aggressive enforcement of the Indian Removal Act. On the other hand, in 1953, President Grant declared that if Native Americans were not forced upon Whites, they would be harmless and his most remarkable activities as President include policies for the protection of African Americans and Native Americans in the West. His policies advocated for their education and wellbeing (Danzinger). Indian removal refers to the policy forced by the government of the United States for the relocation of Native American tribes from the east of the Mississippi River to its west. On the other hand, an Indian reservation refers to an area of land administered by Native American Tribes and by the end of the 19th century there were 300 reservations established in the US. Some tribes ignored the relocation orders and forcing them back onto reservations resulted in a number of Native American massacres. The Indian allotment act allowed the President to divide reservations into separate lands for individual members. Its major aims were to civilize Native Americans and to acquire use of Native-American lands for non-Natives (Gunn) Wounded Knee was the last battle of American-Indian wars which occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, the United States of America where, after the demise of Sitting Bull, General Custer's old regiment rounded up about 350 Sioux. The Native Americans were asked by the soldiers to surrender their weapons. Around 300 Native Americans were murdered and their dead bodies were left to freeze on the ground ("The Wounded Knee Massacre.").