Oklahoma History
Chapter 5 Cultural and Religious Conflicts I. The Story of the Indian- US. A. In most cases of imperialist expansion, the expanding country entered new territory, conquered the citizens there, made slaves of them, and adapted them into society. II. Sovereignty of Indian Nations. A. The US gov. claims never to have conquered the Native Americans. B. Each Indian nation became a sovereign independent nation. C. Christian ethics discourages making war against another nation, simply for the purpose of securing land, so the Doctrine of Discovery was formulated. III. Doctrine of Discovery A. The doctrine of discovery made the Indians the “rightful occupant” of the land, while giving ownership to the European governments. B. The most common legal document dealing with the Indians was the treaty. C. Between 1778 and 1871 the US Gov. negotiated over 400 treaties w. Indian tribes, called “nations” in those documents. D. The 4 specific policies of the Doctrine of Discovery are: 1. The gov. acknowledged Indian rights to occupy and use tribal lands. 2. The Gov. offered to protect the Indians and their rights. 3. The Gov. agreed to provide services in exchange for tribal lands. 4. The Gov. precluded (prevented) anyone other than itself from disposing of, or otherwise altering the status of, tribal lands. E. The Doctrine of Discovery had 2 main effects on Indian- US Gov. relations. 1. It prevented the US from trying to conquer the Indians. 2. Indians tribes were recognized as sovereign nations. IV. Property Ownership A. Transactions between the colonists and Indians led to mistrust and misgivings on both sides.