The Alcatraz Island Occupation, Essay Example

Introduction

Native Americans have faced significant challenges related to their civil rights throughout history. This population is comprised of approximately 2.5 million persons, and they possess tribal sovereignty over their people, in conjunction with the support of the federal government in protecting their lands (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 2014). However, their religious beliefs, freedoms, and cultural customs have been subject to discrimination throughout history, thereby making this population vulnerable to attack and lack of support, even from state and federal governments (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 2014).

Analysis

The struggle for Native American freedom has been ongoing and continues to be deeply rooted in land ownership and governance, in addition to concerns regarding the freedom to practice religious customs and freedoms and function as part of normal society (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 2014). From this perspective, American Indians have been persecuted time and time again without any significant level of reprieve, as they face the utmost scrutiny from many non-Native Americans, which includes voting rights and centuries-old stereotypes of this population, as well as their beliefs and customs and their lack of connectivity to many modern technologies (The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, 2014). One of the key defining moments of the American Indians civil rights campaign was when a group of Indian students protested at Alcatraz in the late 1960s into the early 1970s, and this experience gave the population much-needed attention and focus in the public eye (Gilio-Whitaker, 2014). This exposure gave American Indians a greater level of empowerment and supported federal legislation to promote self-identification and greater freedom in the United States, as well as an awareness of civil rights and opportunities for this population (Gilio-Whitaker, 2014).

Conclusion

Native Americans face an uphill battle with respect to their civil rights and continue to struggle on many levels to achieve the rights and freedoms that are given to many other groups. Therefore, it is important to identify some of these challenges and to recognize the value and contributions of the United States government in attempting to preserve these freedoms. Nonetheless, the struggles for this group continue and play a significant role in their ability to be fully contributing members of society, including the ability to exercise religious and other freedoms, as well as voting rights throughout the United States.

References

Gilio-Whitaker, D. (2014). The Alcatraz Island occupation and the Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved from http://nativeamericanhistory.about.com/od/controversies/a/The-Alcatraz-Island-Occupation-And-The-Civil-Rights-Movement.htm

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (2014). Native Americans. Retrieved from http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/native.html