Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Dee Brown's book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee is an accurate account of how the United States dealt with the Native American problem in the mid to late 1800's. After all the Indians were on OUR land and didn't seem to use it for any economical means, why can't they just be moved somewhere else. Giving them Christian names and putting them in large groups on a small area of land seemed to be the answer. That way the Indians can still live in nature, but they won't interfere with the everyday American lifestyle. The last three sentences are the way I feel most people felt about the Native Americans after the American Civil War. History is filled with stories. Many of these stories have been changed or suppressed by the leaders who carried out some of the most pivotal events in human history. As a young country the United States had its ups and downs as far as dealing with key human rights issues is concerned. Probably the most publicized example would be the civil rights struggle for African Americans. They are not the only group to be persecuted throughout U.S. history. There were the Chinese who were kept in camps after they completed the railroads to the west, which helped our count
The last story being told was probably the most gruesome, the massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The most popular "desecrated" site would be one most Americans look at as a national monument. The most riveting part of the book was probably the last paragraph. When the first torn and bleeding bodies were carried into the candlelit church, those who were conscious could see Christmas greenery hanging from the open rafters. While reading the book something else happened. This book made me feel awful about being white skinned and American. After that began the systematic destruction of all Indian cultures. Across the chancel front above the pulpit was strung a crudely lettered banner: PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MEN. Dee Brown basically just went through the history of the Native Americans after the Europeans arrived. We can never change our history, but we can fight to make sure that similar events of injustice never happen again. This group of people thrived on this entire hemisphere until European settlers discovered this "New World". Plus, there are the sins of greed and pride. records to write this book, so the accuracy of the book is proven.
Common topics in this essay:
PEACE EARTH,
Native Americans,
War History,
South Dakota,
Christmas Lord,
Giving Christian,
Americans Europeans,
Wounded Knee,
Apache Cherokee,
African Americans,
native americans,
wounded knee,
heart wounded knee,
bury heart wounded,
bury heart,
heart wounded,
indians land,
sioux apache,
american indians,
reading book,
european settlers,
|