Lincoln and the Native Americans?

[Qwerty 42]

I dug this up on google, and ask the opinions of these minds more learned than I.

United Native America
The American Indian And The "Great Emancipator"

By Michael Gaddy
Published 01. 9. 03 at 21:31 Sierra Time
http://www.sierratimes.com/gaddy.htm

Perhaps the veneer of lies and historical distortions that surround Abraham Lincoln are beginning to crack. In the movie, "Gangs of New York," we finally have a historically correct representation of the real Abraham Lincoln and his policies. Heretofore, many socialistic intellectuals, politicians and historians have whitewashed these policies in order to protect Lincoln's image because of their allegiance to the unconstitutional centralization of power he brought to our government.

The false sainthood and adulation afforded Lincoln has its basis in the incorrect assumption he fought the war to free an enslaved people. To believe this propaganda one must ignore most everything Lincoln said about the Black race and his continued efforts at colonization. Lincoln's treatment of the American Indian has been very much ignored, though not exactly misrepresented.

One would find it hard to refute that Abraham Lincoln's political idol was Henry Clay. Lincoln would say of Clay; "During my whole political life, I have loved and revered Henry Clay as a teacher and leader." Lincoln delivered the eulogy at the funeral for Clay. When elected President, Lincoln set about implementing Henry Clay's political philosophies.

Throughout Clay's political life he was a strong believer in National Socialism and a complete racist in all references to the American Indian. As Secretary of State Clay would declare: "The Indians' disappearance from the human family will be no great loss to the world. I do not think them, as a race, worth preserving."

This mentality lead to the forced walk of all Cherokees from the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia to Oklahoma during the winter of 1838. Over 20,000 Cherokees were dragged from their homes, which were then plundered and burned. They were force marched most of them barefooted to Oklahoma during the dead of winter with the sky for their blanket and the earth for their pillow. Over 4,000 Cherokees died on this march and it became known as the "Trail of Tears."

Similar atrocities occurred all through the Lincoln Administration. In 1862, the Santee Sioux of Minnesota grew tired of waiting for the 1.4 million dollars they had been promised for the sale of 24 million acres of land to the federal government in 1851. Appeals to President Lincoln fell on deaf ears. What made this even more egregious to the Sioux was the invasion of this yet unpaid for land by thousands of white settlers. Then, with a very poor crop in august of 1862, many of the Indians were hungry and facing starvation with the upcoming winter.

When Lincoln outright refused to pay the owed money, remember he had a war to finance the Indians revolted. Lincoln assigned General John Pope to quell the uprising and he announced at the beginning of his campaign: "It is my purpose to utterly exterminate the Sioux. They are to be treated as maniacs or wild beasts, and by no means as people with whom treaties or compromise can be made." Lincoln certainly did not challenge this statement.

The Indians were quickly defeated in October of 1862 and Pope herded all the Indians, men, women and children, into forts where military trials were immediately convened. None of the Indians tried were given any semblance of a defense. Their trials lasted approximately 10 minutes each. All adult males were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death with the only evidence against them being they had been present during a "war" which they themselves had declared against the government.

The authorities in Minnesota asked Lincoln to order the immediate execution of all 303 males found guilty. Lincoln was concerned with how this would play with the Europeans, whom he was afraid were about to enter the war on the side of the South. He offered the following compromise to the politicians of Minnesota: They would pare the list of those to be hung down to 39. In return, Lincoln promised to kill or remove every Indian from the state and provide Minnesota with 2 million dollars in federal funds. Remember, he only owed the Sioux 1.4 million for the land.

So, on December 26, 1862, the Great Emancipator ordered the largest mass execution in American History, where the guilt of those to be executed was entirely in doubt. Regardless of how Lincoln defenders seek to play this, it was nothing more than murder to obtain the land of the Santee Sioux and to appease his political cronies in Minnesota.

Lincoln's western armies, using the tactics of murder, rape, burning and pillaging, simultaneously being used against Southern noncombatants by the eastern armies, turned their attention to the Navajos.

In 1863-64, General Carleton and his subordinate, Colonel Kit Carson, invaded the Navajo land, especially those concentrated in the Canyon de Chelly area. Crops were burned, innocents were murdered, women were raped and general chaos was rained upon these noble people simply because, like the Santee Sioux, they demanded from Lincoln what they had been promised; their land and to be left alone. General Carleton, believing there was gold to be found in the area, stated: "This war, will be pursued against you if it takes years until you cease to exist or move." Again, there was no protest of this policy from Lincoln, his Commander in Chief.

The Navajo were forced to march over 300 miles to Bosque Redondo in eastern New Mexico. Over 200 Navajos died on this march and, eventually, over 2,000 perished before a treaty was signed in 1868. While at Bosque Redondo, the Navajo suffered the vilest conditions; bitter water, no firewood and impossible growing conditions for crops. The soldiers and the Mexican guards subjected the women to rape and humiliating treatment. Children born at this "concentration camp" were lucky to survive their first few months of life.

As our Founding Fathers did in our Declaration of Independence from the British, the Cherokee Nation listed its grievances with the Union when they declared their unification with the Confederate States on October 28th 1861. These brave people had already observed the atrocities of Lincoln's war criminals and saw through any so-called war for liberation.

[Qwerty 42]

Link.

[Darth Wong]

Don't buy into Southern apologist bullshit. The South has hated Lincoln ever since the Civil War, and misinformation campaigns like this are a good example. Saying that the Union didn't fight the war to free the slaves is sort of like saying that the Allies didn't fight the Nazis to stop the Holocaust. While that may not have been the sole or even primary objective, it was nevertheless an important point of moral distinction between the two warring parties, like it or not.

Besides, I am not inclined to automatically believe anything produced by the sierratimes, a website that bills itself as "An Internet Publication for Real Americans".

[Simplicius]

Well, I can't speak specifically to Lincoln's Indian policies, but there are some other disputable points in the article which I can note.

Perhaps the veneer of lies and historical distortions that surround Abraham Lincoln are beginning to crack. In the movie, "Gangs of New York," we finally have a historically correct representation of the real Abraham Lincoln and his policies. Heretofore, many socialistic intellectuals, politicians and historians have whitewashed these policies in order to protect Lincoln's image because of their allegiance to the unconstitutional centralization of power he brought to our government.

Hmm - "socialistic intellectuals," unconstitutional centralization of power...sounds like a warm-up for a right-wing Confederacy nut.

I'll grant, Lincon's role in the constitutional limitation/necessity debate is important, and can be wrangled over. But I can't think of a serious scholar who will dismiss it as entirely unconstitutional out-of-hand, especially given that Congress later ratified Lincon's decisions.

The false sainthood and adulation afforded Lincoln has its basis in the incorrect assumption he fought the war to free an enslaved people. To believe this propaganda one must ignore most everything Lincoln said about the Black race and his continued efforts at colonization. Lincoln's treatment of the American Indian has been very much ignored, though not exactly misrepresented.

The "zOMG Lincoln hated the blacks!" argument is a poor one. It completely ignores Lincoln's vocal stance against the Kansas-Nebraska act, his vehement opposition to Douglas' 'popular sovereignty', and his disapproval of the Dred Scott decision. It further ignores the political realities of the time, in that Lincoln lacked the security to act decisively on the issue of slavery until 1863.

And, "colonization"? What?

One would find it hard to refute that Abraham Lincoln's political idol was Henry Clay. Lincoln would say of Clay; "During my whole political life, I have loved and revered Henry Clay as a teacher and leader." Lincoln delivered the eulogy at the funeral for Clay. When elected President, Lincoln set about implementing Henry Clay's political philosophies.

I'd like some evidence that Lincoln was merely a Clay rip-off. I've not read anything that supports this.

Throughout Clay's political life he was a strong believer in National Socialism and a complete racist in all references to the American Indian. As Secretary of State Clay would declare: "The Indians' disappearance from the human family will be no great loss to the world. I do not think them, as a race, worth preserving."

It is difficult to paint Clay as a National Socialist, when the collapse of the Weimar Republic was almost a hundred years off.

Similar atrocities occurred all through the Lincoln Administration. In 1862, the Santee Sioux of Minnesota grew tired of waiting for the 1.4 million dollars they had been promised for the sale of 24 million acres of land to the federal government in 1851. Appeals to President Lincoln fell on deaf ears. What made this even more egregious to the Sioux was the invasion of this yet unpaid for land by thousands of white settlers. Then, with a very poor crop in august of 1862, many of the Indians were hungry and facing starvation with the upcoming winter.

When Lincoln outright refused to pay the owed money, remember he had a war to finance the Indians revolted. Lincoln assigned General John Pope to quell the uprising and he announced at the beginning of his campaign: "It is my purpose to utterly exterminate the Sioux. They are to be treated as maniacs or wild beasts, and by no means as people with whom treaties or compromise can be made." Lincoln certainly did not challenge this statement.

The Indians were quickly defeated in October of 1862 and Pope herded all the Indians, men, women and children, into forts where military trials were immediately convened. None of the Indians tried were given any semblance of a defense. Their trials lasted approximately 10 minutes each. All adult males were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death with the only evidence against them being they had been present during a "war" which they themselves had declared against the government.

The authorities in Minnesota asked Lincoln to order the immediate execution of all 303 males found guilty. Lincoln was concerned with how this would play with the Europeans, whom he was afraid were about to enter the war on the side of the South. He offered the following compromise to the politicians of Minnesota: They would pare the list of those to be hung down to 39. In return, Lincoln promised to kill or remove every Indian from the state and provide Minnesota with 2 million dollars in federal funds. Remember, he only owed the Sioux 1.4 million for the land.

So, on December 26, 1862, the Great Emancipator ordered the largest mass execution in American History, where the guilt of those to be executed was entirely in doubt. Regardless of how Lincoln defenders seek to play this, it was nothing more than murder to obtain the land of the Santee Sioux and to appease his political cronies in Minnesota.

I'm not doubting that this happened, but I'm certainly not going to take this guy's argument as gospel truth. Too much room for him to fudge the details for 'spin,' and it's not like he cites sources or anything.

Lincoln's western armies, using the tactics of murder, rape, burning and pillaging, simultaneously being used against Southern noncombatants by the eastern armies, turned their attention to the Navajos.

I smell a Confederate apologist here as well; note the tone.

In 1863-64, General Carleton and his subordinate, Colonel Kit Carson, invaded the Navajo land, especially those concentrated in the Canyon de Chelly area. Crops were burned, innocents were murdered, women were raped and general chaos was rained upon these noble people simply because, like the Santee Sioux, they demanded from Lincoln what they had been promised; their land and to be left alone. General Carleton, believing there was gold to be found in the area, stated: "This war, will be pursued against you if it takes years until you cease to exist or move." Again, there was no protest of this policy from Lincoln, his Commander in Chief.

The Navajo were forced to march over 300 miles to Bosque Redondo in eastern New Mexico. Over 200 Navajos died on this march and, eventually, over 2,000 perished before a treaty was signed in 1868. While at Bosque Redondo, the Navajo suffered the vilest conditions; bitter water, no firewood and impossible growing conditions for crops. The soldiers and the Mexican guards subjected the women to rape and humiliating treatment. Children born at this "concentration camp" were lucky to survive their first few months of life.

So 'no protest from Lincoln' automatically means that Lincoln is wholly culpable? I would like to know exactly how closely Carleton and Carson were keeping Lincoln in the loop. Again, I don't trust this guy to get it right.

As our Founding Fathers did in our Declaration of Independence from the British, the Cherokee Nation listed its grievances with the Union when they declared their unification with the Confederate States on October 28th 1861. These brave people had already observed the atrocities of Lincoln's war criminals and saw through any so-called war for liberation.

Founding Fathers, independence, secessionist sentiment...it is clear where the author's sympathies lie.

There's a lot of pro-Confederate, modern-America-is-Marxist red-baiting below the part you quoted. While I don't doubt that these events took place, I'd sure as hell like to see some legitimate sources to get the fine details that doubtless got lost in the furious rhetoric here.

[RedImperator]

This just in! Lincoln not a saint! Film at 11.

My favorite part about Confederate apologists is how they have to go after Lincoln because they sure as fuck can't defend their own guys.

[acesand8s]

Perhaps the veneer of lies and historical distortions that surround Abraham Lincoln are beginning to crack. In the movie, "Gangs of New York," we finally have a historically correct representation of the real Abraham Lincoln and his policies. Heretofore, many socialistic intellectuals, politicians and historians have whitewashed these policies in order to protect Lincoln's image because of their allegiance to the unconstitutional centralization of power he brought to our government.

Yeah, by this point it's clear that this is nothing but neo-Confederate propaganda.

A few comments on Lincoln's relations with the Indians. The Sioux rebellion resulted in the deaths of 300-800 white settles. While the Indians almost certainly had legitimate greviences, the US Army did not simply round up a bunch of innocents who had been peacefully protesting. Lincoln was damaged politically for commuting the sentences and only agreed to the execution of the most egregious perpetrators. Lincoln is reported as saying "I could not afford to hang men for votes."

As for the Navaho, the forceable removal of them from their lands had been in the works since the Buchanan administration and the final order was made not by Lincoln but by the commander of the New Mexico militia without Lincoln's authorization. While 200 did indeed die during the march, 8,000 surrendered to Carson (resulting in a far lower death rate than any Civil War prison). It should also be noted that the campaign against the Navaho was sparked by Navaho raids against the Pueblo Indians. The description of the reservation as a concentration camp is also a gross exaggeration; while housed in this 'concentration camp', the Navaho managed to conduct a raid against the Comanche, stealing 1,000 horses.

This is not to say this is a 'good' record of relations with the Native American tribes, but the article is biased and slanted.

And, "colonization"? What?

Haven't you heard? Lincoln expressed some support for the colonization movement early in his presidency. Though he never made any concrete moves in that direction and clearly changed his mind, the vague references he made must mean he strongly supported it and wanted to use the US Army to move all 4 million freedmen to Africa (when the bluecoats weren't raping women and killing babies of course).

[Simplicius]

Haven't you heard? Lincoln expressed some support for the colonization movement early in his presidency. Though he never made any concrete moves in that direction and clearly changed his mind, the vague references he made must mean he strongly supported it and wanted to use the US Army to move all 4 million freedmen to Africa (when the bluecoats weren't raping women and killing babies of course).

Ohh, right. I forgot all about the Liberian angle; here I was thinking it was some bizarre twist on Union operations in the South or something. D'oh.

[Elfdart]

An American President had racist attitudes towards Indians and Blacks? Say it ain't so! Lincoln may have been prejudiced against the darkies, but for 19th century America, he was about as enlightened as it got.

The colonization thing appears to be nothing more than a sop to racist Northerners who didn't like the idea of large numbers of free blacks moving into their neighborhoods. I doubt Lincoln was serious about it and if he was, it would have been impossible to round up 3 million people and ship them off to Liberia when a few dozen at a time couldn't make it without support from the government since Liberia was a swamp and the locals didn't want them there in the first place.

[Qwerty 42]

Understand that I am a rather huge Lincoln fan, so I'm somewhat skeptical of the conclusion, especially the reduction of 2000 homicides to 38 being irreducably evil.

[Qwerty 42]

303 to 39*

[K. A. Pital]

An Internet Publication for Real Americans

No comments.

Lincoln's western armies, using the tactics of murder, rape, burning and pillaging, simultaneously being used against Southern noncombatants by the eastern armies, turned their attention to the Navajos.

From this you could almost tell this is a pile of shit. Propaganda language in every tone. And notice how little historical reference or scientific facts this "publication" gives. None at all, in fact.

This is what happens when you can't clearly denounce the wrong side of the Civil War (and do most seriously doubt, I mean the majority of American population, that the South was a very wrong, racist and misantropic side of war?). The same shit that comes up with Nazi apologism.

[Battlehymn Republic]

George Washington burned Iroquois villages, too. I don't think there was a single American president or leader until the 20th century who gave Native americans a fair shake.