"In 1952, the federal government initiated the Urban Indian Relocation Program. It was designed to entice reservation dwellers to seven major urban cities where the jobs supposedly were plentiful. Relocation offices were set up in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Dallas. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employees were supposed to orient new arrivals and manage financial and job training programs for them...Relocatees were supposed to receive temporary housing, counseling and guidance in finding a job, permanent housing, community, and social resources. The new migrants were also given money to tide them over on a sliding scale based on the number of children in the family. A man, his wife, and four children got $80 a week for four weeks. That's what they were promised. Some found that the promises were not kept. Not every relocatee found a job, and those that did were generally at the lower end of the economic ladder. Others succumbed to alcohol and those who were accustomed to drinking in public on their home reservations got into trouble with the law when they drank on city streets. Many more were simply homesick so far away from their families and familiar landscapes. Still more decided to return to their reservation. But over the years, it's estimated that as many as 750,000 Native Americans migrated to the cities between 1950 and 1980. Some came through the Relocation Program. Others came on their own." (PBS, "Assimilation, Relocation, Genocide: The Urban Relocation Program")
Please focus on the highlighted sections of document to find the answers for the document-based questions below:
Please focus on the highlighted sections of document to find the answers for the document-based questions below:
Document A:
House concurrent resolution 108 (HCR-108) was passed August 1, 1953. HCR-108 declared that the United States should abolish federal supervision over Native American Nations as soon as possible and to subject Native Americans to the same laws, privileges, and responsibilities as other U.S. Citizens (dismissing treaty rights and tribal sovereignty). The consequence of HCR-108 was the beginning of an era of termination policy, in which the federally recognized status of many Native American Nations was revoked, ending the government responsibility to Native Nations and its citizens and withdrawing legal protection to territory, culture, and religion.
1. When was this resolution passed? By whom?
2. What is the resolution doing?
3. Who is the resolution affecting?
4. How might this bill affect the Native Nations listed?
Document B:
Indian Relocation Act of 1956 (also known as the Public Law 959) - was a U.S. law which encouraged Native American to leave their reservations to acquire vocational skills and assimilate into the U.S. general (urban) population. Part of the Termination Policy Era, the law led to the increase of urban Native populations in succeeding decades.
1. What is the goal of this law?
2. How might this law affect Native Americans? Positively and negatively?
3. How do you think Native Americans felt about this law?
Document C:
1. Who is this brochure targeting? Why?
2. What is it advertising? What is the tone?
3. Do you think all these things were provided for urban Native Americans in reality?
Document D1 & D2:
D1: Living conditions of Native Americans during the relocation era (play video from 48:39-49:58).
1. What is Document D2 a photo of? How do you know?
2. What type of document is the video? Why is this documentation important?
3. What can you infer from this video and photo about Native experiences during urban relocation?
3. What do you think it would be like to be recruited to move away 100s-1000s miles away from your family and community? Thinking about document C, do you think urban relocation was everything it was made out to be (i.e. a good thing for Native Americans)?
1. What is Document D2 a photo of? How do you know?
2. What type of document is the video? Why is this documentation important?
3. What can you infer from this video and photo about Native experiences during urban relocation?
3. What do you think it would be like to be recruited to move away 100s-1000s miles away from your family and community? Thinking about document C, do you think urban relocation was everything it was made out to be (i.e. a good thing for Native Americans)?