Abstract
The following essay highlights the condition and plight of Native Americans as a result of discrimination. The atrocities that they were subjected to have been specifically added as a part of the essay. A co-relation with other similar movement, Holocaust has been shown. It also mentions the few steps that the Government has been taking for making them a respectable part of American society and culture and how it has helped them in restoring their identity and dignity.
The American philosophy towards mankind has been befuddling. On one hand, they are the pioneers in promoting the ideas of liberation and equality. They do not tolerate any kind of injustice in behavior, words or actions. But, time and again, they have shown us numerous examples where they did not conform to the principles, where they claim to be the leaders. There have been incidences witnessed by the time machine, which reveal the evidences of racism, discrimination, and disrespect to the mankind. There has been disparity in wealth, status, respect, and other stereotypical parameters that evoke inequality.
Native Americans is a group of indigenous people from North America. The term excludes people from Hawaii and Alaska. At the time, when America was discovered by Christopher Columbus, around 10 million Native Americans had been already living in that continent. After the establishment of USA, George Washington and Henry Coz had conceived the idea of introducing civilization in Native Americans and since then, assimilation had become a consistent policy through the administrations. A common belief shared by most of the reformers was that the Native Americans should be assimilated from the American culture. The war that took place between Europeans and Native Americans was due to the claim made by European settlers against the territory inhabited by American Indians. European population had brought with themselves epidemics and many other contagious diseases that affected the whole community’s health. Also, the cultural gap between established Native Americans and Europeans caused a lot of political tension, social disruption and violence.
Based on the social and economic indicators, Native Americans performed much worse as compared to the other groups existing within the country. The people were brutally treated if they chose to speak their local language or practise their own ethnic traditions. They were dejected from being a dignified part of the society. They were forced to live in isolation in tribal areas which had the maximum unemployment, incest and high suicide rate. Inhuman behavior was projected and a lot of people, including women and children, were mercilessly slaughtered. The condition of the people was no better than those of broken and defeated.
Many state heads or governments have shown their sympathy and issued formal apologies for what the Native Americans group had to bear in the past. In the year 1924, Native Americans who were denied citizenship were honored by citizenship by Congress government. There were a series of laws and reformations in 1970 s that took place as a part of rectification. First and foremost, first nations had gained a new power, they were allowed to work autonomously. Federal agencies were there to provide support to people in recovering their indigenous assets. They have also offered and rendered compensations and extra benefits for the upliftment and betterment of that part of society. It is evident that the intention of the government and administration has more been influenced on morality rather than legal grounds. But the question is, can anything actually make up for what all the tragedies and misery they went through?
Holocaust was the bureaucratic, systematic and state-sponsored execution of around 6 million Jews by Nazi regiment and their collaborators. During that era, a section of German population were also subject to merciless actions because they were perceived as inferior and down trodden racial group. The people from Gypsy community and around 200, 000 patients who suffered from a physical or mental disability were also made a victim of the so called “Movement.” The genocide and persecution took place through a series of acts and laws enacted in Germany, a few years before the out-break of World War 2. There were Concentration Camps meant for subjecting people to slave labor and atrocities were committed on them. They eventually dies of exhaustion or some disease.
Holocaust and the plight of Native American have been two major episodes of genocide events in history. There has been a trail of pain, suffering and fear that the innocent people were subjected to. Reformations have taken place, but some things are just beyond any repair. They have been episodes of brutality and inhumanness, which leave their ever lasting impression and still continue to haunt people’s mind.
WebQuest is an inquiry driven format for lesson in which almost all the information is taken from web. It is very useful for the students. Unlike in the classroom based learning model, the best part of WebQuest is that it gives a direction and motivation to dive deeper into the topic. The kind of inquiries and questions that it feeds the readers with, give them a food for thought and a quench to find answers for it. It does not do spoon feeding by giving direct source of information, but rather makes the reader inquisitive and encourages them to utilize the online resources to the best of their knowledge. The quest for learning is given a push as the questions are interesting and challenging. The overall experience was quite enriching and the concept has been brilliantly devised.
