Enfranchisement Of Native Americans In The Late 19th Century

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The Indigenous people of North America had a longstanding history of independence, self-governance, and democracy that predated the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere. However, upon Columbus’ arrival in the Caribbean in 1492, the Indigenous people he encountered, falsely referred to as “Indians”, were initially regarded as savages far inferior to European Colonizers. In the centuries following, Indigenous people faced unceasing conflict with colonizers, who sought to eradicate the “Indian Savages” and their ways of life. By the time the American Revolution swept through British North America in the 18th Century, the newly integrated United States had been raised above the bloodshed of the French & Indian War, as well as countless smaller Indigenous massacres such as the Pequot and King Philip …show more content…
Yet, despite these wide efforts to Americanize Native Americans in the late 19th century, enfranchisement was completely neglected, and wasn’t federally granted to Indigenous people until President Calvin Coolidge signed the Snyder Act in 1924. Fundamentally, the signing of the Snyder Act was a monumental achievement for Native American suffrage, as all natives born within the external borders of the US were then to be naturalized as US citizens, with equal constitutional rights. However, the struggle would not end with Calvin Coolidge’s pen in 1924. After the Snyder Act was passed, the issue for Indigenous people remained in that the constitution was interpreted to give States the right to manage elections and restrict who can vote, meaning that Native American suffrage wasn’t suddenly granted in all fifty states in 1924 (Tossie). Many states in the South already bluntly ignored the 15th Amendment, implementing various
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Words 1320 - Pages 6