Transcripts For CSPAN3 Lectures In History 20221011

With the second half of our semester one of the Big Questions were picking up on is what does it mean to be an american . All right who can claim to be an american . Thats one of the Big Questions thats going to kind of . Take us through the end of our semester into as we deal with the 19th century. So in upcoming weeks were going to talk about, you know, immigrants. Were going to talk about kind of the progressive error and things like that. I think this is a good start point. To think about who is claiming american status. And what does that mean . So were going to build from some of the ideas. We talked about with manifest destiny. From the discussion of Political Violence and build into these are other things. Couple key concepts that we need to deal with first of all a settler colonialism. Have you heard that phrase before . I see a couple yeses and a couple knows some heads kind of bobbing every which way, okay when we talk about settler colonialism, let me give you kind of a general definition here. Were talking about colonialism that seeks to replace. The original population colonialism that seeks to replace the original population with new settlers hence settler colonialism and and this is done in a couple different ways. One way is through kind of depopulation right an intentional effort to remove. Either physically, you know like the physically take them to another place remove or to exterminate. Depopulation right a second way that settler colonialism functions is through assimilation. Right getting the previous population to transition into membership in the new population. And theres a third way right the recognition of a previous population as unit within this new. Organization, were not going to see that nearly as much were going to see the first two more in our discussion today. So settler colonialisms. I mean we need to kind of keep in mind second big thing. We think about is the frontier. And what is the frontier . How does it function . And for that were going to deal with Frederick Jackson turner in 1893 Frederick Jackson turner as a historian at the university of wisconsin delivered. Well lecture about the frontier the Census Bureau in 1890 had said there was no longer a frontier and one of the things that turner wanted to talk about was what the frontier had meant in American History. The essentially argued that america doesnt exist without a frontier than americas existence is directly tied to this notion of a frontier. But what is a frontiers i think a fantastic question and in turners construction of this. Basically the frontier in American History has always function as basically a colony. The same way overseas colonies had functioned for european powers. This is how the frontier function for the United States. It was a place for Raw Materials to be produced. A dedicated market to export finish goods but more importantly it was a safety valve. And people disgruntled at home. Well move to the colonies on the same way people who are disgruntled on the east coast would move to the frontier. And that process reproduce. Kind of what it meant to be america. So you have this kind of contiguous colonies thing. Thats kind of right up close to it. And what makes the american frontier different than some of these other colonies is that theres this constant integration of the frontier. Into whats called the metropole into the mother country itself. And so thats an important distinction. But turner doesnt necessarily see the the frontier in purely positive light cc is a important space. For the recreation of what it means to be american but he also says i want to quote a piece from him. He says that the democracy born of freeland and by this he means kind of the frontier is a space where no one can has claimed this land. Just not true, but like thats the conception the democracy born of freeland strong and selfishness and individualism. Intolerant of administrative experience and education and pressing individual liberty. Beyond is proper balance has its dangers as well as its benefits. So from turners perspective, the frontier is an important location and its necessary for defining the american character, but its also a place that has generated a very unique vision of what it means to be american. Right and one that is. Very much tied to very kind of brutal and violent realities, right . So thats important for us right in terms of thinking about native americans and and that connection because again in turners vision of the frontier, free land its open space. So hes conceptualizing it as a without people already there. Okay, third thing we need to think about. Our ideas in the 19th century about social development. And for that were going to turn to lewis h morgan. I wrote a book in 1877. Called ancient society the title is its a 19th century book. So like the title is like forever long. We just call it ancient society. And basically what hes talking about through kind of studying kinship relationships and such. Is that all societies . Move through a uniform and identifiable path. Into civilization from savagery to barberism to civilization right and and savagery he identifies as kind of that huntergatherer kind of lowest rudimentary level of technology. Very little in terms of hierarchical social organizations, but its the start is in his mind the most primitive. And then you move into barbarism which you might see as analogous to bronze age technology, right the use of you know, smelting technology to create first of all iron tools with that into bronze and more intricate social organizations more sedentary lifestyles his vision of how this works is based in technology, but then also in sedentary life. So for huntergatherers to more permanent societies and then ultimately into what he defines a civilization which he defines breaks up into ancient medieval and modern. To kind of how we understand the western world and its break up and of course. America is the pinnacle its the top. Its the most modern of all places. It is the most civilized. So, okay great. So if you take this notion kind of all societies because he talks about whats called monogenesis. Are you familiar with this term monogenesis . That all people come from one singular creation. Samantha, do you have a question . So good. America was like the pinnacle. Did morgan view like the early colonists who were like technically british colonists as like savages . Oh, no, no. No, they still are part of civilized world. They are just so the again morgans vision is kind of Anglosaxon America english acts and vision to the british are the british even the french i guess he would throw in but kind of western european conceptions are the height of civilization. That includes all the western world. Not just yes. Brandon would you put in the five civilized tribes you had civilized into American Society five civilized tribe. He would have put them somewhere in that space between barbarism and civilized. Were theyre not there yet. At least thats my understanding of morgan. I meant that i have not Read Everything that morgan wrote so i dont know 100 but i think thats where you put the he puts most native americans in barberism or kind of savagery into barbers. Thats kind of where he sees native americans, but i dont know if he would necessarily classify. So the civilized tribes. I think you would say are imitating the civilized that may not necessarily. Be civilized. A good question. These are fantastic questions. So morgan is obviously not the only person out there and his ideas are not the only ideas but they are representative of kind of a notion a set of ideas and this idea that native americans arent necessarily civilized or theyre on maybe an earlier edge of civilization. And that one of the things that could be done is to help progress them into the civilized era into the modern world the civilizing mission, which will actually talk a lot about as we go through the rest of the semester this kind of notion of kind of what later. Individuals were called the white mans burden. All right, well talk about that. So those type of ideas but also then the idea that native americans are potentially an impediment. To progress right because they are stuck. In barbarism and so if theyre stuck in barbarism and theres no way to bring them into the modern world. What do you do then . Right. So these conceptions of who is modern who is not whether or not progress can happen you tie that then to this idea of the frontier and notions of settler colonialism, and i think what you get is the intellectual framework for understanding what whats going to happen throughout the 19th century again, like i said, were not going to talk about the wars. Ill talk about that in a couple weeks, but everything short of war here. Were going to talk about in terms of settler colonialism and its connections. Does that make sense any questions before we move on . Fantastic all right, so well start with the trail of tears. All of you have heard the trail of tears before i assume. Yes, okay. How many of you have heard about the georgia gold rush . Okay, so a couple of you have alright in 1828 in northern georgia in the appalachian portions of georgia. They find gold. Hence the gold rush but people are kind of pressing into this area increasing population and then in 1830 a second. Kind of vain is going to be found, but this is going to be in land. Claimed by the cherokee when it does not going to stop the the miners from going into that territory the cherokee yearly, please. Please dont. Please get out. Its actually called the great intrusion. I mean what . What a wonderfully kind of almost victorian understood intrusion, right . This is an invasion of minors into cherokee lands. And because of that theres this. Desire to kind of take those lands out of the hands of the cherokee. The gold rush doesnt lead. To the indian removal act. I want to make that clear. Its not like this created that but it made it easier. For people to support the indian removal. Oh, theres golden in our hills. Okay. Yeah. Sure. Thered already been a push to. Remove some of this land from what are referred to as the five civilized tribes, right the the cherokee. Muskogee or the creek the seminole the choctaw and the chickasaw right . I got all five, right . Wow, okay addings bad for me. Okay. So they wanted theres already that movement thats going there and in 1830 Congress Passes the indian which empowers the federal government to send out negotiators. Thats all it does. You can send out these negotiators to to create treaties to Exchange Lands in the southeast. For lands and whats designated indian territory right that portion of the Louisiana Purchase territory west of arkansas . The very first of these treaties is actually the treaty of dancing Rabbit Rabbit creek. With the the choctaw in 1831 and so they shine this agreement. To move from basically, georgia to to indian territory and theyre going to do it in three ways between 1831 and ultimately 1833 not all the choctaw were talking about 15,000 out of a population of just shy of 20,000. So vast majority the thing is the first wave. Its a blizzard. Second wave is going to be decimated by cholera. And all three waves are going to face. Significant supply shortages and kind of general incompetence on the part of the federal individuals who are leading this process so that all said and done Something Like two to four thousand people are going to die in the process of moving. Its actually in this choctaw removal. That we actually get the first time people use the phrase trail of tears. Thats the first like thats the start point. Theres an effort actually to to get a treaty with the seminal in 1832. And what . What they do is they send negotiator down to the seminal the seminar like were not so sure how we feel about this this land in oklahoma. Can we send some people to check it out . And so they do yeah sure. So they go to oklahoma and they come back and the thing is theres this report that supposedly the these seminal leaders signed saying oh, yeah, this land is terrific and wonderful and amazing except for of them actually signed it. And so when the seminole say well then were not moving. The Us Government says well, yes you are. You have to and thats what its going to lead to eventually the second seminal war in 1835. But again, thats a couple weeks from now. Well talk about that. But so you get some people are gonna fight back against removal. But i think whats interesting we think about the cherokee the cherokees response to this whole process is perhaps the greatest example that theyve had at some level assimilated. Parts of white culture. Theyve taken bits and pieces and said like well if youre gonna make us do this, lets do this. Brandon you look like youre like, nope. Thats not oh my supporters because the cherokee of white supporters. Yeah, so the cherokee actually have a number of people that are on their side in this process, right . So in the early 1800s, georgia seated a large portion of its western land claims. To the United States government which basically is going to encompass, alabama and mississippi. And then in that process the georgia gives up its land claims with the cherokee dont give up their land claims in 1825. They basically create a new capital and in 1827 write a constitution. I mean if you look if the whole point is native americans need to assimilate into white culture. I mean the fact that the cherokee have done exactly what whites have said do and doesnt seem to matter seems to be a big deal. They actually pass along 1828 saying that any member of the Cherokee Nation that signs some sort of removal agreement or land claim agreement without the approval of the council. Has committed treason against the Cherokee Nation. And Something Like they theyve got this figured out. All right. So when the when the indian removal act comes along theyre already set and ready to go. The problem is georgia has looked to the Us Government saying hey. You promised us when we seated you all this land that you would come and help us remove portions of native americans living in our territory, but youre not doing that. So the Georgia State Legislature Just passed a series of laws giving them the power to basically do whatever they wanted. The cherokee suit in 1831, it goes to the Us Supreme Court at which point in the Us Supreme Court says, were not going to hear your case. Ive always loved. Always loved that Us Supreme Court, just but yeah, no. Thanks. We understand. This is a huge concern has major ramifications, but were just were going to have tea that day. The next year in 1832 another shoot makes its way to the Supreme Court and theres something actually going to hear the case in worcester versus the state of georgia. And the Supreme Court actually sides with cherokee in this. Least on some level and basically basically the ruling here is that the state of georgia doesnt have the right. To pass these laws and that, you know affect the cherokee because constitution is quite clear that when it comes to the phrases Indian Affairs only the federal government has that authority so georgias attempts to kind of control the cherokee. Violate the constitution the president jacksons response to this is basically cool dont care. Theres the famous the like the thing like the you know this idea that he said, you know marshall is made his decision. Lets see him in force it is that where youre gonna ask brandon see about that. Wasnt that his response to it. Well show there seems to be no evidence that shows him actually saying this now could he have said it out loud and no one wrote it down. Yeah entirely possible, but we dont have any documented evidence as far as ive been able to find. That says that he said that specifically but the sentiment is there right the sentiment of ideal it. Basically im i dont care and on some level. Its not so much that hes not going to enforce the ruling. Its just that. Hes not going to side with the cherokee right . The Supreme Court has sided with the cherokee. You cant remove us in this way, but theyre still the the indian removal act that jackson supported so he doesnt really have a problem. But it all gets really kind of interesting because 1832 remember the jackson basically declared war on South Carolina over the nullification crisis. So i mean like its a busy year for him. Right what ultimately ends up happening is an 1835 a treaty assigned with a faction of the cherokee. Basically the the whole thing is after the decision from the Supreme Court and it seems like theyve won. But this doesnt look like the federal governments going to care a rift begins to develop amongst the leadership of the cherokee so im saying well its inevitable that theyre going to force us to leave. So lets get the best terms we can now and in other groups saying were not leaving under any circumstance. And what happens is the group that ultimately is in favor of leaving at least on the best terms they can get sign a treaty in 1835. And even though that would technically be an act of treason under. The cherokee constitution and under their their law. The Us Government says nope you this treaty off you go. And so in about three different waves, theyre forced now. Theres some who voluntarily move. There are some that are literally drug kicking and screaming. All right, so its its an interesting mix about 16,000 or so. And again about two to four thousand are going to die along the way. Now you would think after. Thousands of people have died in a process of forced removal the federal government would go, you know, lets not do that again. Youd be wrong. Because in 1864 theyre going to do it again. When 1864 theyre going to do it again. And now some of this has to do with the civil war itself. All right in 1860 actually 1861 large chunks of the us army. Let me drawn off the great plains and sent back east to fight. Which means that what youre going to end up having . In the west is mostly territorial militia. And so thats going to be a bit of an issue. Even with the us army there, thats not a guarantee that treaties will be upheld and things like that but now because of the civil war right . There are some native american tribes and nations that will side with the confederacy not necessarily because they agree with the confederacy, but because confederacy has promised them. Land all right a recognition of land brandon. Did a question . Did did those tensions with the when they signed with when they agree old when they agreed with the confederates for their attention between tribal members at that time, too . So yeah, theres internal tribal, you know conflict over whether or not decide with the confederacy. Yeah, i mean so its there is theres always tension that were gonna see many now the cherokee at one point. Actually i mean before they were forced into indian territory large chunks them there were some that owned slaves himself. They had adopted the notion of african slavery. So some of them would have supported conceptions of the confederacy. Anyway, in fact the very last confederate general to surrender is going to to be a cherokee general. Stand weighty. I believe his name was. Sounds right in my head. So theres gonna be some that are going to fight for the confederacy because they believe in in ideas of the confederacy. Some are just going to support the confederacy because the devil that promised me the best is the devil i go with, you know, i mean so and because of all those internal tensions right . Its hard to know kind of whos with who . And then of course, youve got the us army not overly concerned about identifying clearly who is with who . All right. Thats just its its all kind of a muddled problem to begin with. And there have been claims in the new mexico territory of the kiowa the comanche of the navajo supporting the confederacy and some groups do. Many dont and what happens is in late 1863. Theres this kind of fear the navajo and kind of the border between arizona and new mexico territory right that they are supportive of the confederacy. Theres no evidence for this but in january of 1864 the us army sends kit carson, right the famous mountain man kit carson right out with a unit to bring the navajo in to bring them from kind of that. Arizona new mexico border bring them to fort sumner the eastern part of new mexico. Several hundred miles and so 8, 389,000 navajo are going to be forced at gunpoint. To march across has anyone actually been to new mexico. Have you been to the western part of new mexico that youve been there . So were going through mountains. Theres also fairly dry and kind of desert like yeah. 18 days several hundred miles i want you to imagine that march. I dont want to march anywhere. Im just gonna tell you that right now, but i dont want to march for 18 days with 8,000 people right . Lets just feels bad like i dont want to do this they eventually get to to sumner to the the boss redondo area and theyre basically put into camps. For all intents and purposes internment camps overcrowded and under supplied and theyre going to stay there for about four years. Forced to live in these conditions 200 people are going to die. On the march but because of the conditions several hundred more are going to die and kind of eastern, new mexico. Eventually at 1868 the Us Governments going to sign a tree with the navajo and say you can go home. Its now a reservation. And you cannot leave it . But off you go. So this kind of forced movement of populations is still ongoing, i mean you can even make arguments obviously about the attorney internment of the japanese during or at least japanese americans during World War Two and kind of linking those thats outside of our time range, but i think you can make some sort of connections there. All right questions about trail tears long walk. Yeah, dawson, did they have any like its written like recorded statistics for like how long they were making them . Walk like every day. Oh, i dont know exactly how like how much per day but were talking somewhere in between three and four hundred miles in 18 days. So im not a math magician, but im pretty sure you get someone can figure one out. So samantha. Could it be argued that this would be like one of the first internment camps even before World War Two or is this like a very different condition . Compared to what it would have been like for example, like in a nazi intermediate camps kind of i its gonna be to tricky question its its different on one level. Its going to be the same on another level. It is a movement of individuals a force movement of individuals to a specific location and then into a confined space. That said some of these camps. I mean most of these camps dont have fencing around them and thats not the case. So its not like its not in that level. Its not the same but in terms of those who leave the camps are then are tracked down and either killed or brought back. So on that level, i mean these are places. Youre not allowed to leave. So who could be argued that this would be like kind of the original or whatever you i dont know if you could i would actually argue and i dont know, but id imagine colonial powers have been using. Concepts like this prior to the 1860s and i imagine that even during things like the crimean war there may have been aspects of this. I mean, so were talking who knows like i dont know if that my head exactly. When that begins but the idea of moving a population and at least in the time of war mix it seems like its not a new concept. But i dont have specific dates that can give you otherwise, sorry. Other questions you great questions. Okay, and lets shift a little bit. And talk about different trail the oregon trail. Now i aint gonna lie. I love me the oregon trail. When it was the video game. Right the green screen. Yeah for the river. Oh united dysentery. All right, which the the textbased version of the game starts in the 1970s, but it becomes popular in the 1980s and the 1990s. Right and so its this you start in independence, missouri and youre supposed to lead your party to the Willamette Valley acrossing various rivers and and problems along the way right broken axles and all kinds of funding dying of cholera and dysentery. It was so interesting in that game. Is that you never once encounter native americans . Its not part of the game. Which we think about it doesnt make sense. It legitimately doesnt make sense. Theres no way that you could have traveled from independence, missouri to the Willamette Valley and the 180 days to it by the 1850s 140 days. Theres no way you could have done that without encountering native americans yet. Theyre written completely out of the game. All right, native americans only kind of pop up in our vision of kind of the westward expansion that the oregon trail plays on in those westerns and then there always presented as some sort of antagonistic force. So its a really interesting that if we get most of history from pop culture. If you play, oregon trail. Youre missing some things. All right, but thats that more organ trails are fantastic game and you should play it the reason you want to get to the Willamette Valley has everything to do with the fur trade. And John Jacob Astor in his fur empire of the Pacific Northwest and were talking big money. All right, the fur trade is big big money and the oregon trail itself. I mean initially were talking about fur traders. Were not talking about wagon trains initially. So the trail that they blaze is not one thats easily traversed by people and covered wagons. At lewis and clarks expedition out and then kind of following along those lines. Eventually by the 1830s you get some of the first wagon trains the problem is they get basically to idaho they get to basically fort hall and theyre stuck. Because the the trail the rest of the way you have to give up basically your wagon put everything onto some donkeys and and traverse the mountains that way theres just not possible in the early trail to actually get there. By wagon now by the 1840s. Theyve cut a bunch of new trails. And the thing is there is one singular organ trail. Theres a bunch of Different Things all leaving from some point. Usually along the missouri somewhere in the missouri valley. And oddly enough a lot of them converge at fort carney. Right in. What is nebraska territory . Thats usually conversion point they follow the plat river. And go through that region. But then they also split off into a bunch of differently some right the gold rush in california. Someone will follow basically the same oregon trail to the point and then dive, south into, california. Some of all the oregon trail to a certain point and then dive off towards the Great Salt Lake because were talking about the movement of the mormon populations. Some will instead of staying. In oregon country though kind of move and head up into the puget sound region. All right, but the thing that thats really interesting is were talking about. Somewhere in the range of 400,000 people traversing land that while the United States claims it. Really dont have control over it. And those 400,000 people theyre going to encounter native americans. Its going to be part of how they they get across that territory. And there is a fear. That is more and more settlers are passing through this Great American desert is theyre moving across the great plains. I know you like to think that yall are midwestern as youre moving across the great plains. That this is going to conflict. Right and as more and more of these white settlers dont finish the journey as they dont go to oregon as they stop along the way and start to claim chunks of land. That are recognized as native american land. Thats going to be a problem. So in 1851. You get an attempt to kind of deal with some of this in the fort laramie treaty of then you can see fort laramie there in was at this point on this map is nebraska territory eventually be wyoming territory, right . This is the first of two big treaties that are gonna be signed at fort layer army. And what the 1851 fort laramie treaty is supposed to do. Supposed to do is recognize native american claims land claims in the region. Right. Well the same point in exchange for that recognition and annuities annual payments of certain amounts of cash two native americans. Specifically were talking about what the lakota the cheyenne the eureka the arapahoe the mandan. A couple others. Im forgetting off the top of my head with crow. Yeah. Cant forget the curl right the black feet also. I dont know. Anyway recognizing their territory in exchange for kind of allowing safe passage. For these settlers with the idea that they werent going to stop. Right you can pass through our territory to the Willamette Valley. Thats perfectly fine with us. All right. In exchange for you, not staying you recognize in our land claim a little bit of money, thatd be nice. Now originally when the treaty is negotiated, its a 50 year annuity, right . So the idea is that until 1901 the Us Government will be paying these these tribes nations for the right to go across their Land Congress changes it to a 10year pacing. Without telling anyone who signed the treaty. Now, of course when they find out theyre like no thats not okay. But regardless the treaty was basically broken almost immediately. In part because people are just refusing. To go the rest of the way to oregon theyre stopping. Theyre settling chunks of land their homesteading come back around to that as concept. But on top of that. The us army isnt doing what it said it would do which is to either help these people along or stop them from you know, engaging in negative activities towards native americans. Basically the us army was just like i dont care do whatever you want. And then when in 18661 as the us army is being pulled out of the west. And we turn to those state militias. Youve now got or these territorial malicious youve now got large numbers of white settlers in regions but they shouldnt be in. Competing for limited resources with the people whose land the United States actually recognizes it is and when you have that type of reality youre gonna have a kind kind of a recipe for violence. So violence is actually going to escalate what ends up happening is as kind of white settlers sometimes move into certain regions and they take some of those resources. It causes internal fights. Within various native american nations as their limited resources and they fight amongst themselves now. In other cases turns into those kind of struggles that we see all too often between white settlers and native americans and often only depicted from kind of the middle point of that struggle. Right the native americans coming in attacking white settlers as opposed to seeing it as the white settlers having essentially started that process. By claiming that land that wasnt theirs in the first place. And we could simulate this leads to significant tragedies right in 1864 in the sand creek massacre in colorado is a direct example of this type of of problem. Now except were not going to talk about war but in 1867, the Grant Administration is like we we need to a grant isnt president yet. But in 1867 there is this desire to find some sort of peace and so a Peace Commission is created by congress and told to go out and solve the problem. Theyre not going to but theyre going to be told to go and do it. The Peace Commission is going to be identified as a fairly large failure. All things said and done in part because it could never gain the trust effectively of native americans and it could never effectively gain the trust of the congressional individuals who sent them there in the first place. 20 number of reasons but if there is a success its the second fort laramie treaty and thats the 1868 treaty. Success is kind of a bad word alright because the treaty of sign is a fantastic treaty except for then its violated very quickly just like the 1851 treaty but in this 1868 treaty the Us Government recognizes and creates great sioux reservation recognizing the lakota claim to the black hills. Essentially saying its yours from now to the end of the universe. Most of all of west river south dakota is part of the great sioux reservation. The treaty is also going to say that theyre going to close down the forts along the bozeman trail. The gold had been found in montana and so theyve been an attempt to go out towards bozeman and find the gold and they said well, well close down those forts. It out, but like they say theyre going to when theyre going to recognize and defend and protect, you know the boundaries of the great sioux reservation, they dont 1874 gold is found in the black hills. Okay, even you notice like everything kind of has a connection back to gold being found gold has found in georgia. Oh brown go to sean, california. Ooh prom go to shawna montana brown go to sean colorado pikes peak problem. Its almost like theres a theme. So they found going 1874 and basically, you know, the custer expedition finds this going. Okay. Whole big problem. And rather than trying to keep white miners out of the black hills, which they are supposed to based upon the treaty the us army just like yeah. Okay, go ahead. Do your thing . And between 1876 and 1889 the Us Government just unilaterally changes. The fort laramie treaty theres one song just changes it. Without getting the approval of anyone else involved. Eventually just claiming the black hills. Now in 1980 this issue was resolved as a strong word, so were not going to use it was taken up. By the Us Supreme Court in us versus sioux nation of indians and which the Supreme Court recognized. That that unilateral changing of the treaty. Those actions taken by the federal government were wrong. And the taking of the black hills was wrong. The Us Government had violated the treaty it was wrong for them to do it and so the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the lakota giving i believe it was initially what 30 something Million Dollar 35 35 Million Dollars in that an additional 1. 1 105 million on top of that basically to pay for the value of of the black hills so that the Us Government will have bought the black hills. To this day that money has not been touched. How much money do you know off top you had brandon . So before belly, its somewhere in the range as several billion. Its increasing every day with interest. And theres no real desire to take because the thing is if you take the money then youre saying yes, of course, its perfectly all right to have for the Us Government to have taken this land. I know there was an attempt president wanted to sign wanted to get the money, but he was immediately rejected. Yeah, there was either theres been a couple actually from what i understand. Theres been a couple times where theres been well maybe its okay at this point to take the money, but theres this strong argument about never taking the money because thats then retroactively excusing the action that was taken. And so theres this it was that when i first moved down here, i didnt realize and kind of this notion about occupied land. And how important that still is to kind of culture here in western south dakota. I didnt realize as i think many of us. You know unless unless youve been here for a while. You dont see it samantha. Yeah. Steps to keep white people out at one point like with fort stockade. They pulled all those people out and stuff. Theyre kind of an attempt in the beginning to keep people out with that. Yes. How in you know kind of . I dont want to say was necessarily disingenuous and that they werent trying but how much their hearts were in it . Has always been an issue thats been questioned about like how much they are actively trying to to do this and how much is going through the motions . Does that make sense . Okay again, its hard to for me to say specifically how many people were like no, this is our job. We need to get them out and how many people the overall kind of reaction in the us army . Was to basically allow it to happen. Sorry, wish i had a better answer than that. Its all complicated. You know, you just save a lot of time and effort if we just said history its complicated and just moved on from there, right . Okay done. By the way, youre not allowed to do that in your papers and cant just say its complicated and be done. Okay. All right. Last part we want to talk about the last kind of movement. Has to do with a culturation and assimilation so the first stuff we were talking about is more crime in this question of deep population. Right and settler colonialism. We want to focus now on this transition into more of a culturation in the simulation as part of settler colonialism. Its worth noting that in the fort laramie treaty. There was also calls for kind of on these reservations for there to be a Movement Towards farming. How serious that was its still a good open question, but that becomes kind of key component, right . Since the 1840s the way the United States has really kind of. Sought to occupy its territorial lands has been through this notion of homesteading. And its important to realize when we talk about homesteading its based in a really important idea. That unowned resources. Can be claimed. By individuals who will then use those resources and more largely talking about land here, but again notice its unowned resources. So whether were talking about the settlement in kansas right kind of that home setting process or the 1862 homestead law that gets passed by the United States government it is this idea. Theres this unused unused resource that this land. Is not being used or at the very least not being used appropriately. Right. So this gets back to what turner was talking about in this kind of free land idea. Its kind of open space. And so in 1862 the federal government actually passes a law saying that if you move out to this territory, you take make a claim of 168 acres. Build a house farm that land for five years you can get title to that land. 168 acres where im from back east thats a sufficient amount of land for a subsistence farm. Out here, not so much. All right, just because the Water Resources are so limited in parts of the great plains brenda. Did you have a question the general public out east understand how dull the soil and baron hills place was no part that its they didnt really and so they understood on one level right . Because they call it the Great American desert and they understood that it was very difficult. To find necessary Water Resources but theres also this kind of idea that 168 acres. Yeah. Anyone can make a good farm on 168 acres not realizing. Well when you ask where will the water come from . Well, youll find it. No, no, you wont because they dont as many people the polishing makers themselves dont come out and see and survey and theyre relying on a second hand third hand reports or theyre just drawing lines on maps. And theyre not really understanding. If you go to parts of indiana, illinois even western ohio, they are fairly flat. Theres lots of rivers. Theres lots of water and if thats your vision and you just assume that kansas looks the same as iowa or as ohio right in terms of access to water. Youre not going to have a good understanding of whats going on then did it the army corps of engineers come out to survey the land. Yeah. Yeah that was before. So the army corps of is surveying ongoingly. But it doesnt mean that the people who are writing the policy are listening to the army corps of engineer. Youd think they would listen. Yes. Im with you. I think youre right. I think they would listen, but theyre not in some cases in other cases the like so i mean, obviously the homestead law and a lot of these things are going to be debated. Right . And so theres gonna be theyre gonna bring in some of this but we are talking about very singularly minded individuals, you know kind of they know the right answer. Thats not trying to cast aspersion they believe they have the right answer and then they understand and unless you have traveled significantly in the United States you even today its hard to know how let me just how different regions of this country are so yeah, they just didnt understand. I think amendment, they just didnt understand and some of that also the Army Corps Engineer in some cases are maybe in the mountains. So there are too far theyre like, so theyre not really doing stuff the planes or so theres theres any number of reasons for why they might not be listening. To those reports so jericho cut off all so stemmed from like a eurocentric view from like europe. Theres a lot of different places only. Well, i think some of this could come from yes a euro american perspective, but i think with the things like the homesteading law it there there encouragement is for white settlers to move so you would think that they would want to provide the best information the best policies to facilitate that settler movement. They were over shooting some of these peoples abilities. Assuming everybody could do it. It could have been over assuming abilities. I mean, yes. Potentially i dont know. I mean like so they but the idea is that 168 acres should be sufficient. All right, realistically speaking if youre talking. And some of these regions without sufficient in kind of irrigation. Technology, youre talking 320 to maybe 640 acres is like the minimum you need. To run a subsistence farm but dont tell someone in pennsylvania that right theyre like no man, like i can make it work on 40. You know because its just its very like the land is so different and its hard for people to conceptualize just how different those things are and i think more than anything. I i maybe me is me giving them the benefit of the doubt more than i should but i want to believe theyre not. Theyre not acting in a way to be intentionally, you know harmful it just they believe 100 and 60 should be sufficient. So i think if many more of them had traveled out here and so oh no. So i think they just they thought they knew were all guilty of that on some level right at some point someone comes to us with new information. Like oh no i know and then no you really dont im like im guilty of that. Ill at least admit that myself like im guilty of that. So like i said, i dont want to cast too many aspersions here brandon give a another american chives and cells started as the great plain stripes theyre known for moving around. Well, thats but thats not modern. Thats not how you should live your life. You should be sedentary. You should have a farm. Yes, you know, like obviously, you know, hes settled because they good. Yeah, so you think that they would maybe like, oh, maybe theres a reason why they didnt. Yes, you would think that youd want to think that they would be able to oh, theres a reason for but they they dont because they believe they have the right answer. Like thats i think keeps coming back to jericho like with how or whatever the guy with the civilized barbaric and morgan. Yeah, do you think it was because they thought they were more like uncivilized. I didnt know what they were doing. And thats it was some more of a house if you accept the idea that native americans are still locked in barberism, then they lack the same kind of scientific knowledge to be able to understand their world sufficiently to make the best uses of those resources. So yeah, i think that that plays into a definitely but then again that doesnt answer the question if youre going to send white settlers to this region. Why would you not then . Check i dont have good answers for that. I wish you did owen doesnt. Wish it did and you can actually see again some of this then playing out so that in the daws act in 1887 right again kind of this idea of creating a hundred and sixty acre plants. Taking the reservation lands and moving them from communally owned lands. To privately owned lands right to individuals owning those chunks of land. In the dawes himself had talked about his quote was the need to adopt the habits of civilized life. Right. Right, thats really the problem. Really the problem here is that native americans just arent civilized and that if we make them farmers, everything will be fine. And whats really interesting here is what 1887 were in the gilded age kind of into the progressive air in this again. This question of what is an american and how does an american function and this idea of the yeoman farm and farmer as kind of the quintessentially american idea . Theres also kind of the strong emphasis in capitalism. And if you have communally owned land, well, thats not capitalist. Privately on land private ownership of the means of production that enhances and expands the capitalist world and therefore this is good capitalism is the modern thing so dawson. These plots of land like in in mind where they or did they also have a certain method of farming in mind was it like crops or like livestocks . They did largely the their vision is kind of farming as opposed to ranching and they actually would send out Scientific Data for how to farm and most the Scientific Data. They sent was just wrong. Right and some of that some of that data was used well until like the 1920s in the 1930s. It actually helps to explain the dust bowls of the 1930s. Theyre using scientific information that was outdated or just wrong so yet they had a vision of kind of if we think just kind of the great shoe reservation which then gets divided up into smaller reservations, but they would just be like just plots of farms as far as the eye can see without river really kind of looking around going thats not going to work in some of these places. Again, they they believe they have the answer. We could believe that the answer. And so theyre trying to make that work and so you have this. Idea, every head of household will get a chunk of land. When every household will have a certain amount the thing is then that gets subdivided amongst errors. All right, you know. And so that becomes a bit of an issue of me if 168 acres wasnt enough to begin with an event divide that amongst say two sons now, its 80 acres and thats definitely not going to be enough and for them further for and but the other thing that that the daws act does is that it opens up that land once . The land had been kind of divided up amongst those people who were classified as classified as sufficiently native american to receive a plot of legs. They start defining who is and who is not native american how much blood do you have to have in order to be well full blooded versus mixedblooded and kind of what what percentage who they get kind of. Its kind of a little bit of eugenics there. Its a little little worrisome, but once that happens then they take a large chunks the remaining land and open it up for sale to nonnative settlers. So white settlers could buy these chunks of land. From 1887 until say 1934 right and that kind of span the daws act takes native american owned land from about 138 million acres. Down to about 48 million acres for 90 million acres are going to be lost. As a result of this kind of allotment process the great shoe reservation by its being broke up into the different. All right chunks. Theyre going to lose nine million acres themselves. Theres gonna be opened up to to these types of White Settlement and land grabs as well. And the thing is what would end up happening is the under the dawes act had a household would get this this land. Its 168 acres and they it would be held. In security by the United States for 25 years once the 25 year mark, you could sell it. So what ended up happening is a lot of people started, you know, 25 years down the line started selling off that land again to nonnative. Land buyers, so even the land that had been divided amongst a native americans is now going to be gobbled up by white settlers as well. So like the whole process shifts in that direction, so were talking about again kind of this. Massive restriction or loss of land in this process but again the idea was to convert native americans to what is the modern way the modern american way of doing things. And so that thats the this whole process of a simulation. Isnt just saying thats happening amongst native, you know americans with native americans. Were going to talk about this next week talk about immigration. All right, and this process what how does one become american and were going to talk about settlement about settlement houses the progressive era, right . Theyre different, but they have very similar goals in mind as the boarding schools. Right the boarding schools that are going to be created in the late 19th century the idea of them. Well, i mean Richard Henry pratt gives us the idea right to kill the indian and save the man the idea. That by teaching an immersing individuals in kind of the white middle class American Culture you can erase the limitations created by being native american and enter into the modern world. Again, what does it mean to be american . How how do you get to that . In 1879 the United States indian industrial school. Opens in carlisle, pennsylvania sometimes its just called the Carlisle School. Right, and its run. By Richard Henry pratt. Richard henry pratt had been commander at fort marion, i believe it was fort marion in florida. During the refer to as the dakota war the great sioux war. However, you want to define it in 17 1876. All right. Pows from that war native americans were taken to florida and held the fort marion and pratt was in charge of the pows. And he got this idea in 1878 that if these pows were trained in english and American Culture that they could then return. Its a great sue reservation. I can return out west and be emissaries for American Culture. And so he actually kind of works with the Hampton Institute in virginia, which has created in 1868 as a school for friedman to be trained how to be american after slavery okay and 1878. They started an Indian School version of this is what they called it there at hampton and then pratt basically pitched this idea to congress and congress is like all right, cool. Lets do this. And so they set up this school in carlisle. And he goes over and he is going to lead this and from 1879 to 1918 about 10,000 native American Children are going to go through this school. For about 140 different tribes im going to talk a lot of different people coming through this but initially the starting group the initial children that were brought to carlisle. Or the lakota. And theyre brought as leverage. To prevent another uprising basically, we have your kids you cant fight back. Because we have your kids while you government good job. Come on, right . Oh. The moment you step foot and carlisle they basically they stripped everything. That was native american of you. All right. Every aspect of your heritage from your hair to your clothes to your language to your religion. These 10,000 kids most of them who didnt speak english at any on any level were baptized as christians without ever being told what that meant. So theyre just kind of everything about you have to fundamentally you cant use your own name. And like lists of names on like a board or wall and you had to pick one and so theres stories of people basically just pointing at a bunch of symbols of they dont know what they mean. And that becomes their name. You were severely beaten. If you continue to use the language of your ancestors. By the way, that became a resistance tool. Remember we talked about slavery and kind of resistance activities. All right, so continuing to speak your own language a resistance activity. All right. Breaking School Property became a resistance activity. So theyre going to fight back. Dont get me wrong like theyre not these kids are not acquiescing. But were talking about really really regimented life. Quasimilitaristic life uniforms and drills and and all these types of things. And the Carlisle School becomes kind of the model for a bunch of federally funded. Off reservation schools, theres going to be 25. I think at one point in 15 different states and territories that doesnt count the hundreds of schools that are going to be on reservations that are largely run by religious organizations. In 1891 Congress Passes a law. Requiring the compulsory attendance of native American Children in these schools they have to go. Right and this law empowers federal agents to basically rip kids out of the arms of their parents and send them to these schools. All of this as a way to force assimilation the idea is once theyve gone through these schools once theyve been an immersed in american kind of white culture. Once theyve learned english once theyve learned skills that are necessary in the industrial age. Theyd be able to return to the reservations and be emissaries for this culture. Now, of course when they returned they often found they were and rejected because they were no longer of that culture. At least significant distance had been built between them. And were talking about people coming back with significant problems ptsd. Right high rates of depression in these schools were talking. Really poor conditions in some cases the kids had to build the very buildings they were going to live in. Fantastic suicide rates were extremely high at these schools kids built coffins for their classmates. Think about how traumatic that is. I mean not just for the person who has died, but the kids. Oh, yes. Im building a coffin for my friend. Sexual abuse was rampant disease spread quite regularly and effectively and efficiently overcrowded and under supplied tens of thousands of kids coming through this system. And was so interesting is again this idea. They were supposed to go back to the reservation and they were supposed to then help. Bring the rest of their tribes and nations into the modern age through this new education that theyve received many of them went back and used that education to fight. It went back and they filed lawsuits. They would now knowing how the legal system worked. They went back as lawyers and fought they went back and they set up schools. On the reservations to teach their language inheritage you will not destroy us. So it has the reverse effect in some cases, but all of this is part of this much larger process right this whole notion that we started from the settler colonialism idea. And what does it mean to be american and how does that work . If you have all these people now that fit certain aspects of what it means to be american, but are they american . I mean again, you can go back to the 1830s and the cherokee they have a printed newspapers. They have a written constitution. Theyve adopted slavery. Theyve done all the things that white people have said you have to do in order to be part of this society, but they can never undo one thing. Theyre always going to be native american. Theyre never going to be white. And thats the case can they ever claim to be an american . Like i said, one of the things were going to talk about the next couple weeks. Is what does it mean to be an american . So we start here with native americans . Were going to talk about americans by choice if you will next week. We Start Talking about immigration and things like that. Are there any questions concerns issues at this point . All right. Well groovy. Well then i will see you next week. All right, and well pick up with immigration go from there. Thanks guys. Have a good one. The city of springfield so much of it is built around that legacy of abraham lincoln, illinois is the land of lincoln is certainly a springfield is the city of lincoln. His home is here the Old State Capitol where you get the house divided speeches here his o law offices are here and of course hes buried on the outskirts of town in oak ridge cemetery. So lincoln is extraordinarily important to the city of springfield. This museum was built in 2005 at open to the public it been a dream a long time of many folks here in central, illinois a president ial library for the greatest president the purpose of the library is very basic to preserve and pass on the legacy of abraham lincoln. Hes a man