Native American Assimilation Essay - 1782 Words

One of the most difficult issues that arises when two cultures collide is how to address the concept of assimilation. One of the questions that has been asked throughout our nation’s history is whether or not the Native Americans would do well to assimilate into the â€Å"American mainstream. Quite frankly, I don’t think we, as non-Native Americans, have the right to propose an answer to this question. The Native Americans themselves are only ones who should be able to decide the future of their people’s tradition and culture. They are human beings with the capacity to think logically and make their own decisions. At this point, our role as a nation is to be supportive of them, whether they choose to assimilate or not. It is our responsibility†¦show more content†¦As a nation we seem to expect everyone to assimilate into the â€Å"American Mainstream† by adopting our values, our politics, and our way of life. But assimilation is not a one-way str eet, and our culture is not done evolving. When two cultures meet, there should be a give and take from both sides - each one looking to learn something valuable from the other. No culture ever stops changing. We are constantly adopting new ideas and lifestyles. As travel is made easier and technology continues to connect the world, we are even more exposed to cultural input from other nations. It is incredibly ignorant to claim that any people group would be better off to abandon their own culture and adopt the culture of another nation, yet we have asked -- even forced -- Native Americans to do this for generations. Opening a discussion about assimilation reveals a double standard that has been present between native and non-native Americans throughout our nation’s history. From the day they stepped off the boat, white settlers expected Native Americans to change and conform, while they themselves refused to do any changing at all. Before the European settlers arrived in America, the native peoples were the â€Å"American Mainstream.† White settlers came into their home, disrupted and destroyed their way of life, disrespected their culture and religion, and then asked them to adopt a European lifestyle. We established a nation in a place whereShow MoreRelatedNative American Assimilation Essay1602 Words   |  7 Pages For almost as long as European settlers have interacted with the native peoples of the Americas, they have had a notion: what many call ‘assimilation’. To Europeans, assimilation of native peoples meant for their culture, which they believed to be superi or, to be accepted over time by the natives. And as they grew more and more European in language, religion, customs, organization, morals, and behavior, they would slowly shed off all of their old culture which the European culture would be replacingRead MoreNative American Cultural Assimilation Essay3830 Words   |  16 PagesNative American Cultural Assimilation from the Colonial Period to the Progressive October 2, 2011 Introduction Although the first European settlers in America could not have survived without their assistance, it was not long before the Native Americans were viewed as a problem population. They were an obstacle to the expansion plans of the colonial government and the same to the newly formed United States. The Native Americans were dealt with in various ways. During expansion someRead MoreNative Americans and Cultural Assimilation Essays1934 Words   |  8 PagesNative Americans have had a long history of resistance to the social and cultural assimilation into white culture. 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