LETTER: Congress and the Armenian genocide
I read in the April 22 Capital Chatter section of the Review-Journal that 100 House members are calling on President Biden to recognize the Armenian genocide that occurred in Turkey more than a century ago. Why would these House members be concerned with what happened in Turkey 100 years ago when they haven’t addressed what happened in the United States with the Native Americans more than 200 years ago and, in fact, is still happening to this day?
Native Americans were hunted down and slaughtered. Bounties we’re placed on their scalps — all authorized, condoned and sometimes conducted by the American military. Native Americans were forcibly moved off their land over and over. Treaties were violated constantly with no concern for the Indians.
Black Americans won citizenship in 1868. Native Americans were not granted citizenship until 1924. Remember, this was the Native Americans’ country to begin with.
To this day Native Americans are living on reservations and land that was already theirs before the white man took it away from them. Some have no electricity, no water and limited educational and medical facilities — much like Third World nations — because the government refuses to acknowledge them.
The politicians who are so concerned about issues in other countries should read some history of the United States, get off their high horses and do something positive for a change for the true citizens of this country: Our Native Americans.
