The Rhetoric Of The Alcatraz Occupation
Question 4: The Rhetoric of the Alcatraz Occupation (1969-1971)
The occupation of Alcatraz Island (1969-1971) is a watershed in the Red Power movement and marks the beginning of further Indian activism on self-determination and Indian rights. The activists, who claimed the Island on the basis of a Sioux Treaty from 1886, needed credibility and a sovereign position in U.S. society to achieve their goals. Additional, the occupiers used the media to get attention, to reach U.S. society and pressurize the government. Therefore, the American Indians used a special, tactical rhetoric and through the creation and use of proclamations, manifestos, poetry and iconography, they were able to give “vision and voice” (Rader 10) to the occupation. Still
The occupation of Alcatraz Island (1969-1971) is a watershed in the Red Power movement and marks the beginning of further Indian activism on self-determination and Indian rights. The activists, who claimed the Island on the basis of a Sioux Treaty from 1886, needed credibility and a sovereign position in U.S. society to achieve their goals. Additional, the occupiers used the media to get attention, to reach U.S. society and pressurize the government. Therefore, the American Indians used a special, tactical rhetoric and through the creation and use of proclamations, manifestos, poetry and iconography, they were able to give “vision and voice” (Rader 10) to the occupation. Still