Native Americans vs. American Settlers\'

Native Americans vs. American Settlers' Rights

An Example of Inequality

The United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration of Colonial Rights offer certain rights to American Citizens. Although these rights were guaranteed to all Americans, groups throughout history have been denied certain rights. Among these groups was the first, the Native Americans, whose rights were often overshadowed by the American Colonists' rights. While many legal and human rights were denied to this group while being offered to the colonists, three in particular are monumental. These include the Declaration of Independence's right to life and liberty, the constitution's right to freedom of religion, and the Declaration of Colonial Rights' right of property. Through an examination of the contradictory treatment of Native Americans and American settlers regarding these rights, it can easily be noted that that Native Americans were denied rights of which the American Settlers took advantage.

When the American settlers declared their independence from England, they stated that each person was endowed with "certain unalienable rights," including life (Jefferson, 1776, para. 1). In addition, the Declaration of Independence States that "all men are created equal" (Jefferson, 1776, para. 1). Native Americans, however, were treated unequally from American settlers, as they were often denied rights to both life and liberty. First, efforts were made to sustain American settlers rights while Native Americans were often killed or left to die as a direct result of the American settlers actions. For instance, the Cherokee Nation attempted to preserve their rights in 1827 by "declaring themselves to be a sovereign nation" through a written constitution, much in the same way that the United States declared their independence from the English. Instead of honoring the nation, though, the American settlers in the area engaged in terrorist activity toward the Native Americans, including mortal activities like burning their villages ("Indiana Removal," n.d., para. 7). Direct violence through wars against Native American wars and individual aggressions against the group left many victims of murder and casualties of war. The Trail of Tears is an example of the violence that Native Americans were exploited and killed by the American settlers. As the United States continued to expand into the South in the late 1800s, they viewed the Native American nations as "standing in the way of progress" ("Indian Removal," n.d., para. 1). For this reason, President Andrew Jackson coerced Native American Nation to signing treaties that forced them to relocate. During the relocation of the Cherokee, called the Trail of Tears, about 4,000 people died of the harsh conditions, including "cold, hunger, and disease" ("Indian Removal," n.d., para. 15). Disease brought to the continent by settlers is another source by which Native Americans were deprived of their right to life. Although the Europeans had lived with certain diseases for many years, building up a certain immunity, Native Americans had no such immunity. The diseases, then, led to the loss of life among Native American communities. Scholars have differed in their classification of such diseases, some calling them localized outbreaks that decimated certain populations, while others argue that they were pandemics, spreading across populations (Ramenofsky, Wilbur, and Stone, 2003, pp. 241-242). Regardless, the diseases were just another example of how American Settlers deprived Native Americans of their lives. Thus, the right to life for all Americans guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence was not applied equally as Jefferson suggests. Instead, Native Americans suffered loss of life at the hands of American settlers, who murdered them, killed them in battle, and subjected them to their diseases. Settlers, on the other hand, were able to preserve their lives, in most cases, through the resources available to them such as legal protection and doctors.

As important or more important than life to many Native Americans were their religions, many of which had been handed down and practiced by generations of families and tribes. In this continent that was established with freedom of religion in mind, American settlers were sure to include a right of the freedom of religion in their constitution. While this right applied to American settlers, who engaged in a variety of religions, from Puritanism to Deism, and spoke freely about them in publications and public forums. Native Americans, on the other hand, were denied their freedom of religion. American settlers saw Native American religions as uncivilized, so they encouraged missionaries to convert the tribes. Missionaries can be both beneficial and harmful to a culture. Some come excited to help the people through manpower and certain forms of scientific, academic, or medical knowledge, presenting their religion with love, and allowing the people to choose whether or not that religion is acceptable. Most of the American settlers, however, did not treat the Native Americans this way. Instead, they forced them to assimilate into European culture, even taking children away from parents, assigning missionaries to the reservations where the Native Americans had been forced, and often punished those who wavered from the teachings of Christianity ("History of Missions" n.d.). Although many Native Americans did eventually convert to Christianity, and some say that their religions were able to coincide with Christianity, the fact remains that freedom of religion was not extended to this group. Instead, they were forced to assimilate to the American settlers' ideas of religion. While freedom of religion was given to American settlers, then, it was denied to Native Americans, sometimes to the point of physically forcing this group to testify a change in beliefs.