In this period, the government passed acts that gave more rights to Native Americans, rather than assimilating them like in previous acts. There was a part in Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal about Native Americans commonly called the Indian New Deal. In this deal Roosevelt makes John Collier the commissioner of Indian affairs. John Collier does many things such as creating the Indian Emergency Conservation Program and convincing the Congress to end the Dawes act. The Indian Emergency Conservation Program (IECP) was a CCC program (Civilian Conservation Corp) which improved the Native American reservations and employed 85,000 Native Americans. Collier convinced the Congress in passing the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 which gave money to Native Americans to purchase more land for their reservations, allowed the reservations to use the constitutions the tribes made, ended the laws that restricted the practicing of Native American culture, and ended the Dawes Act. Congress also passed the Johnson O'Malley Act which allowed the secretary of the interior to make contracts with states and territories and give them money to fund the education of Native Americans. Other things were done to the education of Native Americans including teaching them about their own culture as well as American culture. So Indian schools were no longer meant to assimilate them. This was all during the Great Depression. Once World War II started, most of the funding for these programs were cut and life for Native Americans returned to the way it was before the New Deal. In fact, there were acts passed to try to assimilate Native Americans once again.
"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.<http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3449>
"American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) - Providing Support for Indian Education throughout the United States - American Indian Education Foundation." American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) - Providing Support for Indian Education throughout the United States - American Indian Education Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.<http://www.nrcprograms.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aief_hist_1940>
"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.<http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3449>
"American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) - Providing Support for Indian Education throughout the United States - American Indian Education Foundation." American Indian Education Foundation (AIEF) - Providing Support for Indian Education throughout the United States - American Indian Education Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.<http://www.nrcprograms.org/site/PageServer?pagename=aief_hist_1940>
"The Wheeler-Howard Act provides the means of destroying this inferiority complex, through those features which authorize and legalize tribal organization and incorporation, which give these tribal organizations and corporations limited but real power, and authority over their own affairs, which broaden the educational opportunities for Indians, and which give Indians a better chance to enter the Indian Service." - Annual Report of the Secretary of the Interior, 1934, 78-83
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The Wheeler-Howard Act is also known as the Indian Reorganization Act. This excerpt was from an annotation in the act written by John Collier. The Wheeler-Howard Act was a very important act in Native American history. It repelled the Dawes Act that oppressed the Native American population greatly. The Dawes Act was in used for over fifty years and it forced the Native Americans to live off of charity and donations. The Indian Reorganization Act gave Indians a large amount of money to purchase a lot of land to expand their reservations. These reservations were now livable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz5MaxXQv3U
The CCC had a program for reconstructing the Native American reservations. It modernized the reservations by building bridges, roads, homes, farms, and even products like fishing nets. They used tractors, shovels, pick-axes, and other modern (well back then it was modern) tools. It provided many jobs for the Native Americans as well.
The CCC had a program for reconstructing the Native American reservations. It modernized the reservations by building bridges, roads, homes, farms, and even products like fishing nets. They used tractors, shovels, pick-axes, and other modern (well back then it was modern) tools. It provided many jobs for the Native Americans as well.
A few Native Americans are putting a sign up to warn outsiders to not enter their reservation. This would be after the Indian Reorganization act of 1934 was passed. There were some tribes that accepted the help of the United States, but there were also that didn't want help. They did not enjoy the pity that Americans had for them because they though Native Americans were lesser than themselves. No matter how bad they had it. Some put signs out on the borders of their land.
This photograph is of FDR signing the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Standing over him are multiple chiefs and elders and John Collier, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. This act provides money for Native American tribes to purchase new land. It also allows them to create their own constitutions so they can run themselves. Well, they were allowed to have a little say in there constitutions at least. They needed some form of American democracy within their constitutions and they had to be based around the districts that were made in the Dawes act. Most constitutions consisted of having elected councils. This act also made John Collier the Commissioner of Indian Affairs which means he is in charge of putting this act to use.