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Alcatraz Proclamation Essay

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If one thing is to be respected and understood about the American Indians, it would be that their history and culture goes much further back than contemporary American history. Consequently, the relationship developed between American Indians and the United States is as unique as it is complicated. This unique relationship started because the American Indians were the first faces seen by fresh colonials from Europe. Despite this fact, the American Indians have faced cultural appropriation on a level that cannot be compared to any other ethnic group or minority. Any American who has been through kindergarten can associate Indians and Pilgrims with Thanksgiving, but how many of those Americans can tell about the Battle of Little Bighorn or the Alcatraz Proclamation? The unique relationship between the United States and American Indians has grown over time to allow for the level of appropriation that can be observed today. It is this unique relationship that has allowed the American Indian culture to be exploited because The seizure of Alcatraz is considered to the one most impactful moments in the American Indians rights movement, only second to the Battle of Little Bighorn. The “Alcatraz Proclamation,” was written in November of 1969 as a result of poor living standards facing Americans throughout the west coast. The Indians of All Tribes used the proclamation to inform all American Indian tribes throughout North America their intent to move to Alcatraz Island. The letter

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