1. In our textbook, what happens in the chapter, "US Triumphalism and Peacetime
Colonialism"? What quote/section stood out to you most, and what connections did you notice to
our course materials so far?
The textbook chapter, "US Triumphalism and Peacetime Colonialism" focused on how the
United States went about invading sovereign indigenous nations. For the United States, this
was their attempt to control regions such as the Pacific and the entirety of North America. Along
with the examples of imperialism that is shown by the United States in their quest for control, we
also see how industrialization enabled imperialism. This is explained particularly well by the
quote: “ Rather, it was all about securing markets and natural resources, developing imperialist
power to protect and extend corporate wealth” (pg 167). The idea of gaining resources and
securing markets would allow the conquest for more land and domination of other peoples due
to a large gap of wealth and resources. I find that this connects to the rest of our course thus far
as we saw how the settlers took land and resources from the indigenous people of the United
States in order to grow the nation.
In the chapter "US Triumphalism and Peacetime Colonialism", we are shown how the idea of
imperialism and industrialization go hand in hand. With more goods and resources available it is
easier to attain money. With a great disparity between the funding of the United States armed
forces compared to that of smaller sovereign nations, it was not a difficult task for the United
States to conquer and occupy many lands. This connects to our prior course materials and the
overall subject of the course as the first examples of imperialism and industrialization can be
seen in the way that the settlers expanded and pushed the indigenous people out so they could
use the land for their own monetary gain. With the beginning of the expansion westward
initiating the parallel of imperialism and industrialization “Indigenous nations and communities
were stifled by the growing US military machine following the Civil War, compliance on the part
of Indigenous leaders became necessary for survival” (pg 168). This upper hand that the United
States had forced these smaller nations to comply, which further allowed to the United States to
expand its grasp as they did not need to expend military resources. Rather they just had to
almost flex their muscles and display how strong the armed forces were to intimidate the
opposition and force them into compliance.
2. In our textbook, what is Dunbar-Ortiz referring to with the "Ghost Dance Prophecy"? Please
include specifics from the chapter, and explain how it connects to the Occupation of Alcatraz.
In the textbook, Dunbar-Ortiz refers to the “Ghost Dance Prophecy” which believed that there
would eventually be an end to the white expansion. The “Ghost Dance Prophecy” had hopes of
cooperation between the Indians and whites while living in a manner that respected the land.
There are specific examples in this chapter that encapsulate this idea such as the treaty that
would guarantee fishing rights in Washington state. It was the National Indian Youth Council
(NIYC) that pushed for this as it was part of their way of life, a way of life that respected the
land. This connects to the Occupation of Alcatraz as we see the minority group unifying and
fighting against the larger nation for what is right.
This chapter of the textbook titled “Ghost Dance Prophecy”, was referring to a prophecy or idea
that one day the expansion westward and the imperialism of the white settlers and the United
States would come to an end. Along with this, there was a belief that the settlers and those
pushing for expansion would be able to live in unison with the indigenous people. Another key to
this idea was that not only did the indigenous want to live on the land in a way that they found
respectful but they wanted others too as well to preserve and protect the land. The fight for land
and land that the indigenous could treat properly on their terms can be seen in the occupation of
Alcatraz Island in 1969. Another example of the indigenous fighting for their way of life through
protest can be seen in the “fish in” movement that occurred and was propelled by NIYC and
actor Marlon Brando. This movement along with the occupation of Alcatraz was able to make
national headlines and alert people of the oppression that indigenous people faced when
fighting for their ways of life.
3. According to Prof. Mayfield's lecture, what did tribal termination policies entail? What did the
relocation policies entail?
According to Professor Mayfield’s lecture, tribal termination policies entailed the termination of
American Indian tribes and the selling of their land. In this then the land which was a reservation
would no longer be home to the American Indians and they would be relocated oftentimes into
urban areas. This was the federal government’s way of saying that they believed that the
indigenous people did not need federal protections anymore and that they were ready to
become part of the rest of American society. The United States believed that if the tribes
continued to live on the reservations the high amounts of suicide, sexual assault, and
alcoholism would continue.
In Professors Mayfield’s lecture, tribal termination policies entailed the Indigenous people losing
their reservations and land forcing them to join the American workforce and follow common
steps of the “American Dream”. They wanted them to come to urban areas, learn English, go to
school, work jobs, and fall in line with the rest of the American people. The federal government
not only wanted to do this to force indigenous people to join the industrialized American society,
but they also believed it would be beneficial to the people living on the reservations as there
were high numbers in categories such as suicide and alcoholism. While this may not seem awful
it still was stripping the indigenous peoples ties to the land and forcibly removing them from their
homes and their cultures.
4. According to the readings and Prof. Mayfield's lecture, how did the American Indian Civil
Rights movement emerge?
According to the readings and Professor Mayfield’s lecture, the American Indian Civil Rights
movement emerged around World War II as there were more Native Americans serving during
any other ethnic group. After this, there were many regions and lands returned to them or sold
back to them for a price. Serving in the armed forces also allowed them an opportunity to get off
of the reservations and eventually receive an education. With more Native Americans leaving
the reservations and gaining an education, they went on to fight the federal government more
for their rights and wants. The American people saw their loyalty in World War II and more
people felt for them and backed their causes such as the Alcatraz Occupation or the Fish In
movement.
According to the readings and Professor Mayfield”s lecture, the American Indian Civil Rights
movement gained traction and saw the light around and during World War II. With groups such
as the Navajo code talkers playing important roles in the war, the federal government and
people in society came to accept them more and believed that these people had a role and a
place in American society. With that land was returned to the Indigenous people by the federal
government and some land was also sold back to them. Along with the return of the land, the
Native Americans were working their way into American society by receiving more education
than they had before. With the public eye on them, movements such as the “fish in” in
Washington State and the Occupation Alcatraz gained attention and backing.
5. Describe the goals and significance of the Occupation of Alcatraz based on this week's
readings and documentary. What scenes from the documentary stood out to you most, and
why?
Based on this week’s readings and the documentary, the goal of the Occupation of Alcatraz was
for the Native Americans to win over the land from the federal government through protest. They
wanted this land as it would be a beneficial space for them to provide a place for their people to
live, a place for them to be educated, and a place for them to keep their own identity. For the
Native Americans they also found that it would only be right that when ships would enter the
San Francisco bay, the first land that they would see would be Indian Land, the land of the
people who were first to this country. One scene that stood out to me in the documentary was
when they talked about how they came together to initiate the occupation of the island. The
image of many young people carrying their sleeping bags and getting onto a boat really was
inspirational to me as they had come together as a united group to stand together despite the
challenge they faced.
Based on the readings from this week and the documentary, we see that the goal of the
OCcupation of Alcatraz was for the Native American people to gain the land. Their reasoning for
wanting the land was to use it for educational purposes and to have a place of their own where
they could have their identity and culture remain intact. Another motivation that was mentioned
in the lecture and the documentary was the concept that when entering the San Francisco Bay,
the first land you see is Alcatraz Island. The Native Americans thought that it would only be
fitting that the first land seen by a ship would be land of the indigenous people as they were truly
the first ones to settle and live in what is now the United States. One scene from the
documentary that stood out to me was when they spoke about the first Thanksgiving on the
island during the occupation. The way that they were still able to celebrate that holiday was
something that I found to be great but even greater was how the local people supported the
movement and helped the people celebrate the holiday.
6. After, thoroughly interpret and rhetorically analyze the Alcatraz Proclamation (not the full
article, just the proclamation itself) based on the historical context we've learned so far.
Consider the following: purpose, tone, word choice, historical allusions, intended audience,
context etc.
After reading the Alcatraz Proclamation, it is clear that the authors of this proclamation
attempted to make an appeal to the emotion and logic of the readers. They presented financial
facts such as the current price that the United States had been buying land from California
Indians. With that price being forty-seven cents per acre, those occupying the land made an
offer to buy this land based on logic. With the land being a total of sixteen acres, the occupants
offered to purchase it for one dollar and twenty-four cents per acre. This totaled out to
approximately twenty-four dollars. This offer is a good example of the authors of this
proclamation attempting to use logic to persuade the reader and the government to agree with
them. The offer shows the imbalance of the cost of land for California Indians compared to the
Caucasian inhabitants. It shows that to even have the slightest chance the Native Americans
feel as if they must double what the Caucasian people would offer. For outside readers that the
occupants want to back their cause, this proclamation should make them feel more wanting to
help the California Indians because of the positive way that they speak of themselves and the
way they prove that the Caucasians that hold this land are acting in an evil manner. Overall the
purpose of this Proclamation was to try and use reason to acquire this land but unfortunately, it
was not successful.
The article which we read about the 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz included the actual Alcatraz
Proclamation which was drafted in an effort to acquire the land of Alcatraz for the California
Indians. The tone in this proclamation is very formal as it is being made with the hope of a
business transaction occurring. The intended audience of the article is the government officials
that control the land as it was formerly a government-owned penitentiary. Overall I think the
biggest appeal to the audience that the Proclamation uses is that of logic. When presenting the
reader with the numbers and prices which caucasian individuals had bought land from California
Indians, it is clear that there is a significant lack of equality. The Proclamation outlines the fact
that the Caucasians were able to purchase land at a price of forty-seven cents per acre while
the offer which the occupiers made was to buy the 16 acres making up Alcatraz at the price of
one dollar and twenty-four cents per acre. This not only shows that the occupiers are willing to
pay what should logically be a fair price for the land but that they understand business and are
strongly motivated to reach an agreement.
Cassie Response:
Hi Michael,
I thought your responses to the questions were all very good. I had similar findings regarding
the ties between American imperialism and industrialization. I think that when working with both
of these concepts and excelling in them the power becomes even greater. I also found a lot of
the American Indian civil rights movements to be very interesting and the Alcatraz Occupation to
be an extremely impressive feat with it lasting around nineteen months. I think the scene that
you wrote about with the groups of young people coming into San Francisco with their sleeping
bags to be quite moving as it is very powerful to not only see people come together for a cause
but to even see all the young people getting involved. I think it is always important that the
young generations are involved in civil rights movements as they are the ones who will be the
ones here longer than someone who is older or elderly that is fighting for their rights. I also
found the Alcatraz Proclamation to be interesting. The part of the proclamation that stood out to
me which you wrote about was the price of the land which the white people paid for versus the
amount of money that the Native Americans offered to purchase the island.