history

Here is a timeline or chronology from Rania to give you a broad sense of colonization in the Americas. There is also a detailed timeline you may download here by clicking on this link: Historical Timeline

US INDIGENOUS HISTORY TIMELINE

*Pre-1492 One Land, One People

There were over 400 independent indigenous nations living in North America. Indigenous people believe that the Earth is a living entity that cannot be owned or controlled by people, and that it is people’s responsibility to take care of it. They also believe that we are all interconnected.

*1492 Christopher Columbus’ Voyage

Genocide and slavery of indigenous people begins with Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas. Expropriation of lands and natural resources continues until today.

*1619 Expansion of slavery

First shipload of African slaves to American colonies arrives in Virginia.

*1790 Naturalization Act

Naturalization Act restricts citizenship to “free white persons.”

*1830 Removal Act

Removal Act authorizes the removal of indigenous peoples from east of the Mississippi River to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma. Over 30,000 people die during forced migration, which the Cherokee remember as the “The Trail of Tears.” This is one of hundreds of forced walks.

* 1835 Seminole War—Indigenous and African alliance

In 1835, the Seminoles (an indigenous people) refuse to be relocated from their lands and in alliance with escaped African slaves carry out one of the strongest resistance struggles against US colonization.

* 1839 Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny is a doctrine used to justify US territorial expansion to the West, which relied on the wiping out of indigenous peoples and towns. It is based on the idea that Anglo-Americans were blessed by God and the US government was ‘destined’ to rule the entire North American continent.

*1846-1848 Mexican-American War

The US invades Mexico for control of land and resources, transferring over 55% of Mexican land to the U.S.

* 1849 Gold Rush

California Gold Rush attracts settlers from all over the world. California’s indigenous population drops from over 2 million before 1492 to about 150,000 in 1849 to about 30,000 by 1870.

* 1851 The Indian Appropriations Act

The United States Congress passes the Indian Appropriations Act, which sets the precedent for the creation of Indian reservations, pieces of land created to contain indigenous peoples while allowing for westward white settler colonial expansion. Today, there are approximately 300 reservations in the Unites States.

*1879 Indian Boarding Schools

The US government begins an aggressive campaign to ‘civilize’ indigenous peoples, separating indigenous children from their families and sending them to boarding schools. Students are indoctrinated into Christianity, given new “civilized” names and forms of dress, forced to cut their hair, and are prohibited from speaking their own languages or practicing their religions.

*1884 Haskell Indian Nations University is founded (Kansas)

Haskell serves the educational needs of indigenous peoples across the United States, becoming a national center for indigenous education, research, and cultural preservation. In 2009, 7th Generation Indigenous Visionaries was founded as an independent Haskell student-based organization with a vision to share US indigenous culture with other global indigenous youth.

*1890 Wounded Knee

500 US soldiers enter a reservation where indigenous people have gathered for the Ghost Dance Ceremony, a spiritual ceremony “banned” by the US government. By the end of the soldier’s brutal violence, which lasted less than an hour, more than 250 indigenous men, women, and children have been killed and 50 wounded.

*1943 Bracero Program

The Bracero Program brings in over 5 million temporary workers from Mexico, mostly to fill agricultural labor shortage during WWII.

*1952 McCarren-Walter Act

McCarren-Walter Act proclaims to eliminate racial barriers to US citizenship, yet tightens quotas for non-white immigrants and allows deportation of immigrants’ for “subversive activities.” It also allowed the barring of suspected “subversives” from entering the country, including the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.

*1954 Operation Wetback

Operation Wetback targets Mexican American communities in search for ‘illegal immigrants’ and deports over 3.8 million people to Mexico.

*1954-68 The Civil Rights Movement

Black activists confront the white supremacy of America with tactics that capture world attention, including the student-led sit-ins of the 1960s (when black students sat down in “white only” restaurants and refused to get up). More militant groups like the Black Panther party work to defend their communities against police brutality and organize locally to provide basic services and empower their own communities.

*1968 American Indian Movement aka AIM is created

An indigenous activist movement forms to actively advocate for indigenous rights and sovereignty in the United States. Their philosophy of self-determination is deeply rooted in indigenous spirituality, culture, language, and history.

*1969 Alcatraz Island Takeover

AIM and allies unite to protest the conditions of indigenous peoples by taking back this island from the federal government. They reside on the island for 19 months.

*1973 Liberation of Wounded Knee

About 300 indigenous Sioux and friends, many of them members of AIM, return to Wounded Knee, declare it liberated territory and face a 71-day armed siege by US local, state, and federal military personnel.

* 1992 Peace and Dignity Journey

The Peace and Dignity Journey is a gathering of indigenous nations that run from the tip of Alaska and the tip of Chile to meet in mid Hemisphere in order to promote indigenous unity and restoration of indigenous culture and rights.

Begun in 1992 in order to commemorate the 500 years of indigenous resistance and survival since European invasion of the Western Hemisphere, it is grounded in the ancient philosophy in which the Eagle (the sacred bird of the North) and the Condor (the sacred bird of the South) unite.

*1992 HUAXTEC

Huaxtec is a group of indigenous Xicana youth organizing in the San Francisco Area. They see their role as a bridge between indigenous peoples and other communities of oppressed peoples in the U.S. such as African Americans and Asians. Working for immigrant community rights, each year they commemorate Xicana Moratorium Day, recalling and resisting targeted attacks against their communities.

* 1993 US-Mexico border blockade

The US government implements a blockade strategy on the US-Mexico border, violating migrants’ human rights and forcing them to cross through the desert. Over 4,000 people have died while trying to cross the border.

In 2006, the US government approves construction of 700 miles (1,125 km) of physical wall and barriers along the border. Lands of 3 indigenous nations will be divided by the proposed border. The US-Mexico border wall is being built by a US subsidiary of the Israeli company building the wall in Palestine.

* 1994 EZLN, Zapatista National Liberation Army

In 1994 this indigenous organization made up of 6 major Mayan tribes builds a united front to take back their land and rights. On January 1, 1995 they raise an armed resistance and took over 6 major towns in Chiapas, Mexico. This action puts indigenous issues and resistance in the forefront across the world.

*2001 The Patriot Act

After the September 11 attacks, the US Congress passes the PATRIOT Act, giving the government broad powers to detain suspected “terrorists” for unlimited periods of time without access to legal representation. Over 1,200 Arabs and Muslim men are secretly detained. Under the pretense of ‘security,’ the US government legislates policies that include imprisonment, deportation, and legalized torture.

*2002 Seventh Native American Generation (SNAG)

SNAG is a volunteer–based organization in the Bay Area that since 2002 has brought art, writing and cultural workshops, and multi-media training to indigenous youth. SNAG’s mission is to provide indigenous youth the opportunity to develop communication skills and to shape future leaders.

*August 2009 US Indigenous Youth Delegation to Palestine

A group of indigenous youth from Haskell Indian Nations University, Huaxtec, and SNAG will visit Palestine as part of the work of the Youth Solidarity Network. This cross-continental exchange will be an opportunity for youth to learn first hand from each other by sharing tools and strategies of resistance against displacement and colonization. The delegation is one step toward building an international community of youth with the common goal of achieving freedom for oppressed indigenous peoples throughout the world.

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