2. In general, the history of indigenous-white relations is a story of oppression and mistreatment. While a lot of violence occurred on both sides of the several Indian-U.S. government wars, there is little question that the government were the aggressors in their relentless removal campaign. Before this removal campaign, however, white settlers had to rely upon the Natives' knowledge of the land upon which they were now making a home. This reliance created peace. But once the itch of capitalism set in and the use of land for mass farming was necessary, relations changed. Speckled Snake felt, in short, that the white man was a father, who had been nourished by the Indians' kindness and now became large and powerful. He went on to say that the "father" only wanted his "sons" to stay away now, while he swallowed up the resources of the land. In a certain sense, he is correct. The white man did become great on the back of the Indian, but had grown more powerful and was using that power to move the Indian further and further afield.

3. The negotiations between the U.S. And the First Nations were more or less one-sided in favor of the government. Some of the treaties may have seemed kind, but on closer look changed the culture and fabric of the Indian lifestyle, eroding their power. One example is Jackson's 1814 treaty which created individual ownership of land, as the Indians had shared a more communal attitude toward the Earth and this created competition. Other treaties were simply ways to make Indian removal official and did not provide for any advantages to the Native people. They gave over land to the government upon threat of violence if the Natives resisted. Even more of an insult than the general unfairness of the treaties was the fact that the government did not always abide by them.

4. American foreign policy is marked by imperialism and paternalism and these are the same attitudes that were exhibited toward the Indians. Because of raw greed, the government chose to subject the Native people to actions that were not in their best interest (in this case, removal from their land). In cases when they resisted, the government declared war. Often, this was couched in a claim of self-defense. This happens even today, when the U.S.'s business interests (particularly in the hunt for oil) lead them to foreign nations to try to conquer foreign people. Beyond this, the government generally has an interest in the assimilation of foreign people into the American way of life. Democracy, capitalism, and materialism are promoted. The Natives who thrived did so only because they chose to go into business, to run their own farms, and to govern themselves to the extent they were allowed. These actions all ran counter to their old lifestyle.