There were two key groups of Native American in the 1930s. They were Algonquian and the Iroquois of New York State. The members of these groups spoke different languages. The Iroquois inhabited the central and the Northern areas of New York State. The Iroquois were also referred to as the people of the Longhouse. A single term that was used to describe the Iroquois is Haudenosaunee. Five groups made up the Iroquois. One of them was called the Mohawk and they inhabited the east. The other four groups, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga occupied the western areas of the New York State. On the other hand, the Algonquians occupied the southern areas of the New York State. These areas are the Hunson River Valley and Long Island. The Algonquian group was made up of the Shinnecock, Mahicans, and Lenni (Aguirre & Turner, 2005).
In the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of the Native Americans in the United States was approximately 25,000. This accounted for only 0.3% of the population of the Americans during that time. The Native Americans did not have the freedom to establish their own way of life. They were subjected to subjugation because of their race. In the course of the 19th century, the Native Americans were denied much of their ancestral land. They were forced to relocate to the west, following a series of treaties. The white authority did not honor the treaties that they signed. Before 1924, the Native Americans had no citizenship rights in America. After the territories were distinguished in the United States, the Native Americans were deprived of their civil rights and were regarded as wards of the State.
The things that troubled the Native Americans were keeping the legal status of the society, preservation of the elements of culture, and possessing the tribal lands in common. These elements of culture were contaminated because of the civilization of the Americans. The political problem that the Native Americans faced was the issue of land. To them, the land was particularly valuable, and they sought to retain it. The native Americans did not seem to give up on their right to own the native land that belonged to them because it was taken from them unlawfully. As a society, land is a significant economic resource of the Native American. According to Aguirre & Turner (2005), they ensured that their right to their tribal land was maintained by making it the source of their livelihood.
Legislation was enacted to constrain the Native Americans to their prejudicial boundaries; The Indian Removal Act in 1830. The Natives and the White Authorities signed treaties, such as Fort Stansix of 1784, to push the Native Americans further west. The move of this law increased racial discrimination since the Native Americans were not considered as a part of the other citizens. The Native Americans had to shelter themselves from the effects. The coping strategies that they used were effective in ensuring the overall well-being of individuals in the community. These strategies include problem solving, support seeking, and cognitive restructuring. They did this as they perceived high orders of racial discrimination. For instance, the problem solving measures that were related to confronting the issues of racial discrimination were made by making formal complaints. These solutions made the members feel more empowered and achieved control over the issues of discrimination. The detrimental effects that were caused by racial discrimination were minimized when the Native Americans got help from acquaintances. They received emotional comfort. In cognitive structuring helped the individual to internalize the effects of discrimination rather that placing the blame on others.
The Native Americans regained some of their land in the beginning of the 1940s. Up to date, the Native Americans are still in their reservations. This law that was enacted was meant to remove boundaries that were known to the Native Americans before the White authority regime. Even though not all the land that was taken from the Native Americans that was given back to them, in can be argued that the legislature made some efforts in alleviating the suffering that the Native Americans received. The people who invaded America pushed the Native Americans away from their land (Aguirre & Turner, 2005).
In conclusion, the Native Americans were the first group of people to inhabit America. Throughout their history, they were faced with political issues. Land denial was the most crucial of all. The other issue was racial discrimination. Retaining the ownership of land, reduction of the damage that was done to the land because of mining and retaining the elements of their culture were their political, social, and cultural issues and concerns. The legislators have some plans to constrain the Native Americans to their prejudicial boundaries. In addition, the same legislature made efforts to alleviate the situation.
Reference
Aguirre, A., & Turner, J. H. (2005). American ethnicity: The dynamics and consequences of discrimination. Washington, DC: McGraw-Hill.