American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement (AIM) took over Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in 1969 to draw attention to the injustices faced by Native American communities and to assert their sovereignty and treaty rights. At the time, Alcatraz was an abandoned federal prison, and AIM saw the takeover as an opportunity to reclaim the land for indigenous people.
We feel that this so-called Alcatraz Island is more than suitable for an Indian reservation, as determined by the white man’s own standards. By this, we mean that this place resembles most Indian reservations in that:
It is isolated from modern facilities, and without adequate means of transportation. It has no fresh running water. It has inadequate sanitation facilities. There are no oil or mineral rights. There is no industry and so unemployment is very great. There are no health-care facilities. The soil is rocky and non-productive, and the land does not support game. There are no educational facilities. The population has always exceeded the land base. The population has always been held as prisoners and kept dependent upon others.
Further, it would be fitting and symbolic that ships from all over the world, entering the Golden Gate, would first see Indian land, and thus be reminded of the true history of this nation. This tiny island would be a symbol of the great lands once ruled by free and noble Indians
—Indians of All Nations, The Alcatraz Proclamation to the Great White Father and His People
American Indian Occupation of Alcatraz. November 20, 1969.
Question 1
How does the American Indian Movement's activism in the period compare to that of ealier African American Civil Rights groups?
Question 2
How does the American Indian Movement's statement make commentary on the federal government's historical treatment of Native Americans?
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