Question

The commerce and governing which may be carried on with the Natives you encounter requires a knowledge of those people….You will therefore strive to make yourself acquainted, as far as a careful and thorough pursuit of your journey shall admit, with the names of the nations and their numbers; the extent and limits of their possessions; their relations with other tribes of nations; their language, traditions, monuments, their ordinary occupations in agriculture, fishing, hunting, war, arts, and the implements for these; their food, clothing, and domestic accommodations; the diseases prevalent among them, and the remedies they use; moral and physical circumstances which distinguish them from the tribes we know; peculiarities in their laws, customs and dispositions; and articles of commerce they may need or furnish, and to what extent...

And, considering the interest which every nation has in extending and strengthening the authority of reason and justice among the people around them, it will be useful to acquire what knowledge you can of the state of morality, religion, and information among them; as it may better enable those who endeavor to civilize and instruct them in the future...

In all your interactions with the natives, treat them in the most friendly and peaceful manner which their own conduct will admit; reduce all fears as to the object of your journey, satisfy them of its innocence, make them acquainted with the position, extent, character, peaceable and commercial dispositions of the U.S. of our wish to be neighborly, friendly and useful to them, and of our dispositions to an economic partnership with them; consult with them on the points most convenient as mutual economic gains….

Analysis: Many historians describe the American relationship to Native Americans as "paternalistic", meaning that America positioned itself as the "father" of the Native Americans, who were "children" that had to be "civilized". Does President Jefferson seem to express this viewpoint? Cite evidence from the text to support your claims.

Answer 1

President Jefferson's correspondence suggests a paternalistic view towards Native Americans, envisioning their 'civilization' through American ways, thus promoting a policy mirroring the federal Indian policy focused on land and expansion.

Step-by-step explanation:

President Thomas Jefferson did indeed express a paternalistic viewpoint towards Native Americans, as evidenced by his correspondence and policies. Jefferson's philosophy was anchored in the belief that through acculturation to 'American' ways, Native peoples would transform, thus achieving peace between Indian tribes and settlers. He envisioned that this transformation would entail Native Americans becoming yeoman farmers, a switch from their traditional practices to Euro-American farming techniques. This vision ignored the fact that many tribes were already adept agriculturalists using different methods. Jefferson's instructions for interaction with Native peoples included civilizing approaches, such as introducing the kinepox vaccine to prevent smallpox and proposing that influential Native youth be educated in American arts, which were inherently patronizing and indicative of the broader federal Indian policy of that era.