The Economic Hardships Experienced By Many Native Americans

The economic hardships experienced by many native Americans living on reservations, are undoubtedly one of the greatest threats and challenges which these communities are faced with today. The lack of good employment opportunities for the native people, along with the policies enacted by the Federal Government over the years, have been catastrophic for the future of these regions. These policies have led to the dramatic societal problems, which most Indian communities are currently fighting with and to the deepening of the already present issues. In order to fully understand the problem, one must analyze its various aspects, by first finding its root causes and afterwards look at good and positive examples, which could be used as a†¦show more content†¦People which have been at the very bottom of the social pyramid throughout the entire history of the United States and who continue to be there even today. Over the many decades following the establishment of the United States of America, the Native American population has gone through an insurmountable amount of pain and suffering. Unfortunately, most of this pain and suffering have been caused by the Federal Government and its policies, which have proven to be not only racist and discriminatory, but at times even genocidal. There are many examples of such policies, but the most general and well known are Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act of 1830, as well as the boarding school system established in the 1870s by Richard Pratt, aimed at stripping the â€Å"savage† Native American children from their culture and teaching them the â€Å"proper† white Euro-American way of life. Yet, probably the longest lasting negative consequences of the aforementioned policies, combined with the loss of their land and the creation of reservations, are the economic misfortunes which have accompanied Indians, ever since first contact with the Europeans was established, so many centuries ago. These ec onomic difficulties have led to the rapid increase in illnesses among Native Americans and the extremely high probability of self-destructive behavior by reservation residents. Currently no other ethnic group in the United StatesShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of New Plants, Animals, And Technologies Altered The Natural ( Physical ) Environment Of North America1306 Words   |  6 Pagesaltered the natural (physical) environment of North America. Think Columbian Exchange. The introduction of new plants, animals and technologies had great impact on North America’s environment. 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