Friday, January 24, 2020

Bureau of Indian Affairs :: American History Native Americans Essays

Bureau of Indian Affairs This is a great day for you and for us. A day of peace and friendship between you and the whites for all time to come. You are about to be paid for your lands, and the GREAT FATHER has sent me today to treaty with you concerning the payment...And the GREAT FATHER wishes you to have homes, pastures for your horses and fishing places. he wishes you to learn to farm and your children to go to a good school; and he now wants me to make a bargain with you, in which you will sell your lands and in return be provided all these things. – Isaac I. Stevens, 1854 The US government’s official role in Indian affairs began as far back as the Continental Congress (1786) when the Indian tribes were still considered independent nations with whom the settlers had to make treaties (Jackson 1). The purposes for these interactions were to buy land and to keep peace between encroaching settlers and natives. Unfortunately, these first transactions reflected the cultural misunderstandings between the two parties that would continue to plague communication until this century (Taylor 5). The Europeans assumed the Indians viewed land in the same way—individuals owning plots of land for agricultural purposes. Most of the eastern tribes were nomadic and moved to meet seasonal needs for hunting. When the Europeans offered to buy land, the natives did not understand that they would thence be barred from the use of that land for migrating and for hunting. Even at these early stages of negotiations, conflicts arose between the two levels of government as to who had jurisdiction. The federal government alone had authority to make treaties with foreign nations, but the states had to deal with the individual tribes. This led to more local intervention by "agents" of the federal government to actually negotiate between states and tribes (Jackson 15). Another role of these agents was, as Henry K nox stated, "to familiarize Indians with the American way of living" (Jackson 20). As the bureaucracy began to develop to meet the needs of the westward expansion, the department’s oversight was given to the Secretary of War. This did not seem to be an intentional statement of purpose but rather a decision of convenience because the Department of the Interior did not exist yet. However, Francis Prucha felt that this may have been because the Indians had been viewed as siding with the British during the Revolutionary War and thus were adversaries(319).

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Poverty and Horse Film Essay

This is a story of two tribal Armenian boys who belonged to the Garoghlanian tribe. For their family, even at times of extreme poverty nothing could match the importance of honesty. They never did anything wrong and never lied or never even stole anything. The story talks about an incident that revolves around two cousins Aram who is nine years old and Mourad who is thirteen. The world, for Aram, at that time, seemed to be a delightful and extremely joyous yet mysterious dream. People believed in every imaginable kind of magnificence. Mourad was considered to be crazy by everybody he knew. The story opens with Mourad coming to Aram’s house at four in the morning one fine day. He tapped on the window to Aram’s room. When Aram looked out of the window, he was taken aback and startled to see Mourad riding a beautiful white horse. In fact, he was so dazed that Mourad had to say â€Å"Yes, it’s a horse. You are not dreaming.† All this was too unbelievable because Aram knew that they were too poor to be able to afford to buy a horse. The only way Mourad could possess it could be by stealing. They were too honest to lie and yet too crazy to ride a horse. Thus, they kept the horse for two weeks, enjoying its ride in cool air and singing to their heart’s content on the country roads. They hid it from the rest of the world by keeping it in a barn of the deserted vineyard. Meanwhile, Aram came to know that the horse was stolen from John Byro. They planned not to return it to him so soon although it pricked their conscience to steal, which was completely their ethics and tribal norms. One fine day they came across John, the farmer. Such was the boys’ family famous for their honesty that the thought of his horse being stolen by the boys never crossed John’s mind. He was just amazed at the resemblance and said: â€Å"I would swear it is my horse if I did not know your parents.† This moving experience led the boys towards John’s vineyard the very next morning. They left the horse in the barn after patting it affectionately. Later that day, John seemed to be very pleased and shared the news of the return of his horse with Aram’s mother. The story teaches us the importance and necessity of honesty even in the face of greed and passion.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Sojourner Truth and Her Mission - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2847 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/07/26 Category People Essay Level High school Tags: Sojourner Truth Essay Did you like this example? That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And aint I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And aint I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man when I could get it and bear the lash as well! And aint I a woman? I have borne five children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mothers grief, none but Jesus heard me! And aint I a woman?. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Sojourner Truth and Her Mission" essay for you Create order Aint I a woman? one of the most infamous speeches given by a determined, intellectual, and beautiful woman named Sojourner Truth. Truth had many barriers that she took a stand against, that couldve destroyed her, but she used them as motivation to give slaves, women, and all society a chance at equality. Truth was a comfortable speaker who gave women, slaves and former slaves courage to pursue freedom and their rights as human beings for equality. Sojourner wasnt always her name. She was a former slave who was beaten, abused and mistreated. She worked all hours and didnt have days off. Until, she took a stand for herself and her child. This led to one of the first ever cases of illegal slave selling of Truths child won by an African American woman against a white man. She is one that should be in all history books. She took a stand for what shouldve been right and helped lead the movement of abolishing slavery, racial inequality and the womens rights movement. As being born into a slavery, she was given the name Isabella Baumfree around 1797, speaking only Dutch to the Hardenbergh family in Ulster County, New York. Essentially, Isabella was born a piece of property and never was anything more until she was free. She was one of 10 or 12 children (records werent correct in which) to also slaves, which she was the only child with left with her parents. This made her parents depressed and it was said that her childhood her mother would reminisce over the other children and tell her they all look at the same stars to keep Belle strong. At the age of 9, Isabella was sold when Colonel Hardenbergh passed away to John Neely with a flock of sheep for $100. Sojourner never talked much about just how harsh her time being a slave was, but Neely wasnt very kind to her she spoke how she would be beaten daily and once even with a bundle of rods, if not the harshest place she ever was with harsh physical labor and violent punishments. Sojourner was sold th ree more times for just as much as before with animal or something else a white man needed. Truth was a 6-foot-tall women who was a slave so her body was strong. She was seen as a good property to have and was sold many times before freed. She was treated like an animal and sold just the same. This can have detrimental effects on a child/human being. However, this made her stronger and more resilient to negativity and harsh treatments as bad as that is. It led her to being known as one of the infamous women in American history. Her fourth owner and last wasnt any kinder named John Dumont and his second wife who created a lot of tension in the household between Dumonts wife and Sojourner. Dumonts wife Elizabeth harassed her and made her life more difficult as stated in Sojourners Truths America by Margaret Washington. Around this time, 1815 Sojourner fell in love with a slave from a neighboring farm named Robert. Roberts owner forbid the relationship and he did not want children between someone he enslaved with someone who wasnt his because he wouldnt have ownership of the children. When one day Robert snuck over to see Truth, Roberts owner found him and brutally beat him. Until Dumont stepped in and Truth never would see Robert again. Truth then married an older slave named Thomas who she birthed 5 children with. Her first born died in child birth, and 4 others named James(firstborn), Diana, Peter, Elizabeth, and Sophia. They were all born after Truth and Thomas got together. Beginning in the state of New York, in 1799 to legislate the abolition of Slavery, though it wasnt complete until July in 1827. Dumont (Sojourners slave owner) had promised to grant her freedom, if she chose to remain loyal and worked hard. However, as many did he changed his mind and claimed that a hand injury had made her less productive, but she continued to work and do everything asked even with said hand injury. Later in life, she rarely showed her hand or the wound on her back. I think this speaks volumes, because knowing slavery was never a walk in the park. She wouldnt show off her wounds and talk about it. Instead she talked about helping slaves come back from slavery and getting jobs. Even though she was upset and angry that he failed to fulfil his promise to her she kept going and continued to follow through. After a while, she hit a point where she couldnt do it anymore. In 1826, Truth and her baby daughter Sophia, escaped to freedom. She had to leave her other children b ehind because they were not legally freed until they were in their twenties. At that time, taking them would be a battle she couldnt win if found against a courtroom and could result in worse actions. She said later in life that I did not run off, for I thought that wicked, but I walked off, believing that to be all right. Truth then met and stayed at a family of Isaac and Maria Van Wageners a Quaker family who lived in New Paltz, the family allowed Truth and her child into the house. The family bought her freedom from Dumont for $20 and they helped Truth to sure for the return of her son Peter who was 5 years old and illegally sold to a slave owner in Alabama. Her son had been abused by the slave owner who had him. Truth became the first black women to go against a white man in court and win her case. When staying with the Van Wageners Truth had a life-changing religious experience and this helped shape her move to New York city and she found work as a house keeper to Elijah Pierso n, a Christen Evangelist. Over her time in New York city, she did more house keeping jobs and even met a few former slaves and talked over abolition and charities. Religious Rivals Truth participated all over the state and became a well-known speaker. This helped set in motion when Isabella Baumfree was no longer, and Truth declared that the spirit called her to preach the truth. She became an itinerant preacher and then renamed herself Sojourner Truth. Truth became a Methodist and made her way traveling, preaching and spoke about the abolition of slavery. In 1844, she joined the Northampton Association of Education and Industry in Northampton, Massachusetts. In Massachusettss currently at the time Truth met William Lloyd Garrison, Fredrick Douglass, and David Ruggles. Around 1846, the group disbanded without funding, but those relationships made helped Truth to make connections to other abolitionists and helped her to form more ideals into her preaching and the injustice of slavery. This also helped her to find Olive Gilbert in 1850 who dictated Truths autobiography The Narrative of Sojourner Truth and Olive helped her to get it published. The autobiography helped her to support herself and gave her more of a national recognition. The sales of the books helped Truth to purchase her first home in what would be the village of Florence, Northampton for $300. Truth spoke at the first National Womens rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. Truth met a lot of inspiring women and had a chance to involve herself in many advocacy positions for Womens Rights. She met Elizabeth Cady and Susan B. Anthony who were very inspiring advocates. However, let it be said upon reading many excerpts Truth did distant her self from womens rights groups because many women still spoke racist terms, and were fine with white women getting to vote over all women. In 1851, Truth joined an abolitionist and a speaker George Thompson on a lecture tour through central and western New York state. In May of 1851, Truth journeyed to the Ohios Womens Rights Convention in Akron. This is where she delivered her infamous and celebrated speech Aint I a Women? Her speech was moving and delivered equal rights for all women. Truth challenged the notions of racial and gender inferiority and inequality by telling listeners of her strength and the strength of all women. Also, of women being just the same as men, if not more hardworking, determined and intelligent. Truth took the stage like a true speaker demanding you acknowledge her presence, many even questioned her womanhood considering she was 6-foot-tall in stature and commanding. This is what essentially evoked her speech and womens equality. Also, its good to take note that several newspapers over the years shared many different speeches of her Aint I a woman? Its now very hard to tell which one was the original, but the concept of the equality for women is the same. Around this time, Truth had parted ways with friend Fredrick Douglass because of his beliefs for suffrage for formerly enslaved men should come before women, where as Truth believed both should come equally. Truth was a radical reformer meaning she wanted to make society equal. When Sojourner settled in Battle creek, Michigan where Truths 3 daughters lived she continued to speak nationally and helped many slaves escape to freedom. During the Civil War start Sojourner urged young men to join Union cause. She organized supplies for black troops. Sojourner even helped the Freedmans bureau who helped freed slaves find jobs and build new lives. This brought attention to her and her work and gained the interest of many including the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. After the war, Sojourner was honored with an invite to the White House. However, some trouble when acquiring the meeting so, Truth asked a white school teacher Lucy Coleman who became an anti-slavery lecturer to help arrange it for her. After much of a wait, Lucy went to Mrs. Lincolns dressmaker as a messenger she succeeded in making the appointment. Lucy finally took Sojourner to see the president after waiting weeks of hearing back they then had to wait several hours to see the busy pr esident on October 29th, 1864. Lincoln later expressed his sorrow for having Sojourner go through such hardships to see him and the hassle. While Sojourner was in there in a letter in 1864 she stated Upon entering his reception room we found about a dozen persons in waiting, among them two colored women. I had quite a pleasant time waiting until he was disengaged and enjoyed his conversation with others; he showed as much kindness and consideration to the colored persons as to the white. One case was that of a colored woman who was sick and likely to be turned out of her house on account of her inability to pay her rent. The president listened to her with much attention and spoke to her with kindness and tenderness. While Truth was in D.C. she lobbied against segregation. During the 1860s a Jim Crow street car conductor tried to violently block her from riding. This was during her stay in Washington and she went to court to successfully appeal her rights for a third time and asked for the right to ride. This showed how wise and charismatic she was. Even though her being technically an illiterate woman never being taught to read or write she still proceeded to follow her truth and won another court case. This if not everything else her life had led up to be her mission so to say. She was put in these almost unfathomable situations and she proceeded to break barriers and show people it was possible to be recognized even though all the faults she had. In the late 1860s Truth collected 1000s of signatures on a petition to provide former slaves with land and jobs, though Congress never acted upon it. Sojourner volunteered and helped to provide insight to former slaves and helped them to see positive in not just her life, but other former slaves lives also. However, because of this influx of former slaves needing a place to stay and jobs the Government was prepared. So, there was no place for ex-slaves to live, minimal amounts of food and no employment. While working at the Freedmans village and for the Freedmans Bureau trying to improve the life of ex-slaves and their living conditions. In an outline provide by an organization dedicated to Sojourner Truth, it was said Maryland residents would come to Freedmans Village and with the purpose of stealing children. Truth learned of the kidnappings and encouraged the parents to protest. This wasnt right, and she believed something needed to be done. The camp commanders threatened to imprison her also as they had done to many of the parents who complained. Sojourners reply was if they tried, she would make this nation rock like a cradle. She was active in helping slaves relocate to many western states like Kansas. Sojourner still lobbied the government to give ex-slaves free land and to pay their transportation costs to their new homes. She carried those petitions with her urging people to sign them asking Why dont some of you stir ?em up as though an old body like myself could do all the stirring. She was telling people if she could (an older black woman) could do it, why cant anyone else make a stand and take initiative. There isnt much more information about after 1870 of her life however she continued to give speeches and lecture on the injustice of slavery and for equality. In her final years, nearly blind and deaf, she spent her final years in Michigan. Sojourner Truth passed away on November 26th, 1883. Her funeral service reportedly attended by thousands of people, was held at the Congregational-Presbyterian Church. She is buried in Oak hill cemetery near her family home in Battle Creek, Michigan. After her death, the final edition of the Narrative was published. In 1892, it was commissioned to an artist to portray the meeting of Sojourner and Abraham Lincoln at the White House. It was later destroyed in a fire, but a photographer luckily got a picture and preserved the image. There is many local contributions and memorials in Battle Creek that displays Truths life and legacy. A united states postage stamp was issued in her honor at the Sojourner Truth Library in New Paltz, New York. There are also statues in several places, but one being Florence, Massachusetts. Sojourner Truth is a name that is still celebrated and lectured on. She is an amazing, brilliant, strong soul who will continue to live on. My take on Sojourner Truth is she is an amazing, truly inspiring, and moving woman who makes me want to do more in society. If she can handle all of her strives with such beautiful insight through such terrible times, why cant I do more? Not only are her speeches amazing, but the way she handles being a slave and struggling. I know in my day and age if I had to go through those torturous conditions, I dont know if Id survive let alone be able to continue working for a man who beat me, broke me, and hurt my children or significant other. Also, dealing with the segregation, she took it to court. She didnt act out and fight or hurt another she took it to the law and proved who was in the wrong and that she was right. Its an amazing quality to attribute to her and see. Before this I only her name a few times, but never knew about all the things she did and life she led. Her mission was to help and lead others to be active in society and to stand up for the rights you believe in. Her beli efs were that ALL should be equal, and that there shouldnt be such a thing as segregation. She went against huge topics that are still a factor in society today like race, gender and even class. Sadly, she never got to see a world unsegregated or equality for all, but I believe she would be proud for the activists across the world who stood up till it happened. Sojourner Truth was a woman to be reckoned with a I do believe she could rock the nation, if she didnt from anything she did and stood up for.