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How were Native Americans treated by the American government after the revolution?

User Champoul
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Final answer:

Native Americans faced denied citizenship, loss of land, and legal discrimination by the U.S. government post-Revolution. While some resisted through alliances like the Western Confederacy, internal divisions among tribes following their participation in the war exacerbated their struggle. Racial prejudices of the era's prominent figures also played a role in justifying their mistreatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the American Revolution, Native Americans faced severe challenges due to the policies and attitudes of the American government. The U.S. government negotiated with tribes, considering them sovereign nations, yet denied them U.S. citizenship. Post-war, American expansion into Native lands, such as western New York and Pennsylvania, was met with resistance, like the formation of the Western Confederacy, which culminated in the NW Indian War and the Treaty of Greenville. Many Native Americans experienced loss of land and autonomy, as revolutionaries viewed these territories as their own. Legal discrimination was later codified in American laws, perpetuating the subjugation of Native peoples.

Throughout the revolution, the alliance of various tribes with either the British or Americans led to internal splits and devastation of Native towns. Post-revolutionary writings by figures like Jefferson and Franklin attest to the racial biases that deemed Native Americans as opposition to the White republic vision. Activism against these injustices eventually surfaced, with figures such as Helen Hunt Jackson advocating for Native American rights and criticizing government policy.

User MitoRibo
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