Native Amer-US Rel.

Catalog description

This course will cover three aspects of the relationship between Native American peoples and the US government. The first includes a sample of Native American governance and law that existed prior to European settlement, its later influence on the US founding, and its rebirth. The second part of the course will examine US government policies toward native tribes from 1790 to the present. Treaties, acts and court decisions that reflect these policies will be chronologically analyzed. The last third of the course will include a discussion of contemporary issues and conflicts between and among various Native American tribes and the US government. These contemporary topics will include: land claims, land use, gambling, poverty, religious freedom, and social and environmental policy.