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African American Citizen Research Paper

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African American Citizen Research Paper
In some ways, it's somewhat easy for most of us to become a citizen of the United States. But in the past, it was another story. For example, colonists from Britain grew weary of British oppression over the years. The settlers wanted independence from Britain and right to be there own citizen, they paid their taxes and were fairly obedient at one point, yet over many years colonists denied The Natives, African Americans, Women, etc of their rights as a citizen. The European settlers oppressed minorities as authorities oppressed them in the past, is it a subconscious attempt to remain superior, or did they know what they were doing? This is a journey of treaties, reservations, and legal battles. For most U.S. citizens, the simple fact that we were born in this country automatically makes us citizens. But it was not until well into the 20th Century that a large group of Native-born people was given citizenship. The road to citizenship for Native people was even longer than for African Americans and women. Native Americans did not become citizens until 1924, and it would be even longer before Native Americans gained the right to vote. Throughout the 1800s, Native tribes gradually …show more content…
Congressman Henry Dawes had great faith in the civilizing power of private property. He said that to be civilized was to "wear civilized clothes ... cultivate the ground, live in houses, ride in Studebaker wagons, send children to school, drink whiskey [and] own property." This act was designed to turn Indians into farmers, in the hopes they would become more like mainstream

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