The most interesting thing that I have learned in these chapters is the removal of Native Americans called the Mohicans, who were located in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I am actually not too familiar with this topic but I was very intrigued to read and learn more about the issue. A current topic that I am a bit familiar with is kids aging out of the foster care system and I felt that these two issues are very relatable to one another. I was very surprised by how the United States government forced Native Americans out of their homes although there were the Indian Reservation System and the Proclamation Line set in place.
When reading, I discovered how the American Revolution ended due to the British giving up their rights to all lands located around the Mississippi River. This caused and allowed the United States to be in control of what gets to happen to those lands. According to the e-textbook, Globalyceum American History, 1450-1877, “Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans occupied these lands” (Reading: Captain Hendrick Aupaumut). To further explain, Native Americans were allied with colonists to help bring Canada under the British Empire and fought for the British during the American Revolutionary War. Soon later, the British created what was called the Proclamation Line which prohibited Americans from buying and/or settling in lands in the west. To the Native Americans, this seemed very unfair since the point of the Proclamation Line was supposed to prevent anything happening to their lands. Instead, once the United States had control, President Jackson allowed the government to force Native Americans out of their land. The e-textbook mentioned, “ The Stockbridge Indians had been pushed off of their lands and were forced to relocate to the White River in what is today the state of Indiana” (Globalyceum American History, 1450-1877). With this, they were able to relocate to a different area but were very anxious about their ability to adapt to a new environment and use techniques to survive.
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Moreover, Captain Hendrick Aupaumut of the Mohican tribe reached out to President Jackson through a written letter pleading for pity. In the letter, Aupaumut stated, “We earnestly request you to cast an eye of pity on us--to help u--to give us such writing [treaty] that would prevent the evil consequences…” (Globalyceum American History, 1450-1877). The tribe, especially Aupaumut, was concerned for their survival. President Jackson replied with “solutions” for Aupaumut and his tribe. He mentioned in this letter to Aupaumut saying, “If you give up war and hunting… adopt the culture of the earth and raise domestic animals; you see how from a small family you may become a great nation by adopting the course, which from the small beginning you describe, has made us a great nation” (Globalyceum American History, 1450-1877). What President Jackson wanted Aupaumut and his tribe to do was to give up their cultural survival of war and hunting and become farmers which include raising animals, growing crops as well as learning to make tools just like Americans.
These situations that Aupaumut and his tribe faced are very parallel to the foster care system all over the world. This issue of aging out of the foster care system received some attention but in my opinion, I believe that we need to bring more attention to this issue and speak more about it. Each year, more than 600,000 kids end up in the foster care system due to many reasons such as parents abandoning their kid(s), abuse, neglect, death, and more. As you may or may not know, once a child turns 18 years of age, they are identified as adults and are able to take care of themselves and are forced out of the foster care system, if they are not taken in by a family. They are basically being thrown into the world with little to no experience. Not being raised in a family brings many dilemmas such as not having certain skill sets like cooking, paying for your own necessities, being employed, going to college, and many more. In fact, most 18 year olds that are pushed out of the foster care system end up homeless, prone to being suicidal, or even develop mental disorders. The reason that 18 year olds are being pushed out of the foster care system is to be able to make more space for kids who are younger and unable to take care of themselves.
Overall, this issue makes me very sad and upset because the government is blaming homeless people for their increasing population, littering, loitering, making the city look dirty, etc. Each homeless person has their own story as to why they ended up in the situation they are in but the government has done little to nothing to help. There needs to be an increase of support for especially teens that are fresh out of the foster care system and teens living on the streets. In addition, there needs to be higher levels of education that is affordable for teens/young adults living without any parental support, health care that is available to all, as well as police who are equipped and trained to help, and to not criminalize/further harm those who are already in tough positions.
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