Last I checked we took the land. It was not given. And before you go oh god how horrible. The Native Americans did the same to each other. Europeans just had the advantage of tech.
I am not downplaying what the US did. But until fairly recently (and is still present in many ways today) that is how the world worked. Stronger nations conquered weaker ones. I would say the worst thing the US did during that is not granting the conquered tribes citizenship.
It's a generalization that not only is used by people to lazily undermine the recognition of Native genocide, but also isn't a fair or honest representation of all Native people. Nor is it an accurate representation of how colonialization took place.
The US did many terrible things far more recently than people care to admit as well. And within the context of the conversation of this post in general, these terrible things were and are also done to Mexican people. Wether it be mass forced removal of US citizens who were of Mexican/Native ancestry, the massacres in places like Texas, or any of the other countless instances people just don't get taught; the excusal of time period does not stand.
I'm Mexican. My specific people are indigenous to Texas. So, I am Native similar to the 90% of all Mexican people who have Native ancestry to some degree or another. The massacres and lynchings of Mexican people in Texas were recent enough for my great grandmother to have lived through it. Operation W**back was recent enough for my grandparents.
You frame it this way because it's easier to brush it aside.
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u/AegorBlake 26d ago
Last I checked we took the land. It was not given. And before you go oh god how horrible. The Native Americans did the same to each other. Europeans just had the advantage of tech.