American Indian Movement

Background

There had been several American Indian social movements prior to AIM, including the “ghost dance” and “peyote meetings,” which are the most widely recognized. These earlier social movements united American Indians from several different cultures, highlighting the commonalities among the nations in their struggle against conquest. This “pan-Indianism” was further developed as a result of other federal policies, such as the movement of Indian children to boarding schools where they interacted on a daily basis with white society, and the relocation policy that moved American Indians to the cities, where they interacted with people from tribal backgrounds different from their own.

One of the first major political organizations that formed was the Society for American Indians. After the American Indian New Deal policies came into play, the American Indian Federation rose to address the issues brought to the forefront. For example, the Indian Reorganization Act (part of the New Deal) required the abandonment of tribal political structures for the adoption of dominant group political structures with federal oversight. A second major political organization was the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

The National Congress of American Indians, which consisted of tribal members from several different tribal nations, developed to lobby Congress on issues that impacted American Indians who lived on the reservation. Issues included voting, self-determination, Indian civil rights, and Indian education. The most significant legislation addressed by the NCAI was the Termination Act, passed by the Eisenhower administration in 1953. This legislation called for an end to the tribal/federal relationship and the ultimate breakup of reservation land with relocation of American Indian individuals to urban centers. Many of those who migrated to the cities were young American Indians, who then interacted with people from different tribal backgrounds. These young individuals had a different focus than young people associated with other social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Unlike their counterparts, the young American Indians, instead of focusing on issues related to youth, were focused on the rediscovery of traditional ways and the interaction with their elders. In addition, their focus was on issues of sovereignty rather than issues of equality.

The Occupation of Alcatraz

The occupation of Alcatraz Island lasted for 18 months and energized the American Indian people. Although only 100 American Indians occupied Alcatraz at any given time, over 5,600 American Indians served in support roles. The Alcatraz occupation brought American Indian issues to the forefront, which had an impact on American Indians throughout the nation. Members of the American Indian Movement were able to pressure the federal government to address American Indian grievances and, more importantly, the Alcatraz occupation spearheaded the beginning of an intertribal social and political movement that swept the country.

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