On May 12, 1879, spectators, Judge Dundy, lawyers Poppleton and Lambertson, General Crook, Standing Bear and his fellow tribe members gathered once again in the cramped courtroom. Judge Dundy ordered silence. Then he announced the ruling. Citing the dictionary definition, he declared Standing Bear, and all other Indians, people.
The Declaration of Independence was the foundation of America’s freedom from the horrors of Britain’s leadership. Within the Declaration was the concept of natural rights, suggested by John Locke, a distinguished Western philosopher who believed every person, no matter the color of their skin or the type of clothes they wore, had the right to life, health, liberty, and property (Online). The verdict in …show more content…
With this, Standing Bear and his fellow Ponca men and women were released from custody, and were allowed to set out to finish the journey they started more than six months earlier. They hiked for two or three days, and finally reached the White Chalk Bluffs and the sacred Indian burial ground. At last, Standing Bear was able to grant his son’s dying request. In the land of their ancestors, Bear Shield’s father scattered his son’s bones, joining them with those who went before …show more content…
He stood up for what he believed in, and in this case, fought for what was right and won. Standing Bear was passionate and dedicated to others. He respected the traditions of people from fellow Native American tribes and his own people, especially when his only son passed away and requested for his bones to be laid to rest among those of his other deceased Ponca Indians. But he also respected the conventions of the white men, making his case in their court. Standing Bear’s perseverance and determination demonstrated his principles, especially as he was fighting for his freedom. The case was only the beginning of the future of equality for Native Americans as the United States continued to expand westward and more and more colonists moved to the new land and tribes continued to be displaced. The early government officials of America declined the Native Americans status as a person. It took this 1879 court case to bring the conflict to its zenith, forcing the United States government to compromise their beliefs that Native Americans were “other.” This was the first step in the Native American’s quest for