America was once not the land of the free and the home of the brave, it was once the land, and home of a people that have become known incorrectly as Indians, and more appropriately as Native Americans. This changed through years of conflict and gross violence. An entire way of life was almost eradicated, and greed persisted in a grand struggle. Semi-recently, general opinion has shifted into feeling as if this was an unjust course of actions, and that Native America, as a whole has been disturbingly unjustly treated, and that nothing modern America has done could make up for the pain and suffering already caused in what is being labeled, and thought of as, a large scale version of the name change from Battle, to Massacre of Wounded Knee. Language carries so much weight, that that one simple word change changes the entire mood and perception of the event. However, neither of these words truly conveys the entirety of the issue.
When Europeans whose descendants would eventually become known as Americans first started colonizing the continent of America, in places like Jamestown and Plymouth, contact with Native Americans on a regular basis was completely unavoidable. From these few first permanent settlements the tone at which all of our dealings with the people that were here before us was set. That tone was a very violent one. From our very first dealings with Native Americans, in retrospect, it is very clear to see that our two cultures would never be able to strive side by side in a heterogeneous, mutually beneficial society. Where the myth of the thanksgiving dinner becomes interesting is when you place it next to the cover up that was the “Battle” of Wounded Knee, and other smaller incidents. A pattern in our dealings with Native Americans, a very bloody, prejudice filled pattern was started in those first European settlements. At times the two cultures would attempt to cooperate, and work together, but such arrangements always fell apart eventually and more blood was shed, such as at the Jamestown Massacre. This pattern would be followed for more then a century.
One of the largest causes of conflict between “Native” Americans, and “Foreign” Americans was the ever growing scope of land which those of European descent had their eye on obtaining, and claiming for their own. “Foreign” Americans were not content with holding anything less but everything from the Atlantic, to the Pacific. “Manifest Destiny” is the greatest example of the inherent sense of privilege of those that have come to be known as Americans, which in all truthfulness should rightfully be used in reference to those that were here before them. It set the stage for the entire nation to start thinking of themselves as being entitled to an entire continent which had already been inhabited for ages before they arrived. Americans, as they are actually called, swept across every bit of land in sight, and simply claimed it as their own, without any real right to it, no matter how one is to define someone’s right to land.
With this addition of people to land that had been lived in by others for centuries, came inevitably the aforementioned pattern filled with violence and greed. Tragic events like the Massacre of Wounded Knee happened innumerable times, and the victims were of both nationalities. America was not simply handed over to those who now control it, essentially without openly declaring it, it was won through fighting a war. The setting for this war is one that had been seen many times before: People thrive in their own land, others see this and decide that they would like the others land, and then find that the only way to take it is by force. When broken down to it’s purest of forms, the gradual shifting of control of America was indeed a War. As with any such brutal contest, people lost their lives in a fight over a prize, in this case that prize happened to be the right to call their battlefield home.
When this war was over, and America had become a single nation, and the competition for their “prize” had ceased to exist, Americans slowly began to see their earlier actions for what they were, acts of greed that caused immense pain and suffering to many people. To try and make up for this, and essentially apologize for what had been done, today Native Americans are granted many immunities and privileges, the least of which not being reservations. In essence what is now America almost destroyed a way of life in what was, for the most part, a two way battle, in a fit of greed, and after the dust had settled realized that they had committed disgusting immoral acts, and tried to make up for them with care and help as much as they thought they could. Knowing that nothing could be undone, America has tried to do it’s best to make amends for what its actions caused.
Before their culture was ever even threatened, many tribes of Native Americans lived on this continent, none of them seeing the whole of Native Americans as a single group of people. With this diversity of tribes came conflict. Tribes would war amongst themselves, and people would die and suffer for the gain of various things, just like in every other civilization in the history of the world. The only difference between what had been happening between Native Americans for centuries and what happened with the descendants of Europeans is simply the scale on which things took place. Never had any one force controlled the entire landmass from sea to sea, in order for that to happen many people who had been controlling parts of it had to die, however, that same rule applies to any other conflict between nations. The war for America had very little difference to any other war in history, including those between tribes of the Native Americans we now think of as helpless victims.
The Massacre of Wounded Knee was without a doubt, a one sided massacre, as its newest name implies; however, not every bloody encounter between Euro-American, and Native American cultures was a one sided affair, in fact the majority were very two sided in their bloodthirsty killing natures. Throughout the entirety of the modern Americans take over of the country, many people of all ethnic backgrounds were killed. This, like any other war, held no group safe from the possibility of brutal death at the hands of those opposing their side. This, like any other war held nothing but gross, immoral actions made in the name of greed from both sides.
Native American culture has had a very large attempt to crush it, it’s people have been brutally killed, and it’s ways have been all but extinguished. In that respect, yes, the New Americans have mistreated those that owned the land before them horribly, and inexcusably. Yes, no matter how much they try to make up for it in the present, they couldn’t possibly begin to eliminate the suffering caused to so many people. Yes, America has treated Native American Culture completely unfairly. However, this can be said about the losers and winners of almost every war that has ever been fought. Underhanded, terrible, greedy, destructive actions are taken in every conflict between human beings that has taken place in the history of the world, and the same will continue to happen over and over again. The War for Control over America is not the exception to the list that makes things not okay, every other war contains just as much unjust action as this one, and to single out one set of people as an evil, uncaring lot for their actions and greed is to condemn every culture in the world (Which should be done). Instead of looking at injustice on a small scale, instead examine the cruelty that the human race has shown as a whole over the last few thousand years, and there you will find a group of people who have treated others unfairly: Everyone.
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