Many people are willing to accept this statement, especially the contemporary China people, who are educated. Why do you say that? Because for uneducated China people, they don't know where the Indians are, let alone anything else; People with a certain education, based on their own bias and ideological understanding, can often agree with this point without thinking after combining the current situation of the United States and Indians. But if you ask him, what is the historical fact that Americans slaughtered Indians? Most of these people know nothing. Therefore, I often compare the history studied by students in China to a river without tributaries, which goes straight to the East China Sea. Where does this mainstream water come from? Don't worry, it's all groundwater.
I don't know whether some propagandists or preachers who hold these views are innocent or have ulterior motives. History is not what they preach. Whether the United States has or is determined to destroy Indians, we might as well briefly discuss the historical footprints of the United States and the United States in recent centuries.
The massacre of Indians is indeed history, but how much it has to do with the United States is another question. We all know that Columbus of Spain discovered America in 1492, but it turned out that Columbus went to America to look for India. Columbus mistakenly thought that the place where he landed-San Salvador in the Bahamas-was India, so he called Native Americans "Indians". This is the knowledge that we can all learn when we were students. Many people think that this historical fact is the beginning of the massacre of Indians by white Americans. But here I want to point out two points in particular:
1) In the world structure at that time, the United States was not a powerful country, but Spain and Portugal were. So Columbus, who discovered the New World at that time, was Spanish. In fact, at that time, the United States did not exist at all. The United States was founded by a group of British people living in the British colonies in America after winning the War of Independence in 1775- 1783 in order to resist the excessive taxes and levies imposed by the British government. At this time, Britain is the most powerful country in the world, and other European colonies in America were brought by the British. With this in mind, I wonder if Americans are born unpatriotic. If the good citizens of the world powers do not rebel, the country will start from poverty. ); Let's take a look at the shameless description in the Complete History of the World: "In the United States, a country with" civilization "in the world at that time, this policy of genocide came even more fierce. They have repeatedly raised the reward for killing Indians. Those cautious Protestant masters, Puritans in New England, decided at their legislative meeting in 1703 that every Indian's skull was skinned and every red man was captured, he would be rewarded with 40 pounds; 1720, the reward for each skull skin is increased to 100 pounds; After a tribe in Massachusetts Bay was declared a traitor in 1744, it stipulated the following rewards:' Every man over 12 years old will get S $ 100; ..... Every woman's or child's skull must be skinned fifty pounds! "
The historian who made up these words must be knowledgeable, but how can he list so many "American crimes" when the United States does not exist? This is obviously a history fabricated for necessity. However, before the independence of the United States, there was no reason to blame the United States for this war that lasted for more than two centuries. Its absurdity is tantamount to blaming the "great" Republic for all wars in China since the Opium War.
2) Although the Americas at that time were dominated by Indians (in fact, there were also European aborigines, and the first batch of American immigrants were roaming around across the continent more than 20,000 years ago), it must be pointed out that America at that time was a land without a country or government, and the aborigines lived a life of tribal hunting and had no claim to national sovereignty. It is understandable that Spain, Portugal and other countries landed and established colonies. The only thing wrong is that you invaded the territory of some tribes, which made others very unhappy. They were very unhappy and drove you away with their homemade bows. Since the other person was born here, should you wait for them, or run back to Europe with your tail between your legs?
I wonder if anyone has considered the above two questions when commenting on the "ugly" history of the United States. It seems very important to explain how the fate of Indians developed before and after the founding of the United States, and whether the United States is still slaughtering Indians after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The survival history of Indians is a bloody history of slaughter and slaughter. However, every massacre often begins with Indians killing Europeans, and ends with Europeans killing Indians, and so on. 1528, the Spanish colonists have fought against the Indians. The Naivas expedition that arrived in Florida at that time was surrounded by Indians and suffered heavy losses. The leader Naivas was killed by Indians. 1539, the Spanish army de Soto was almost wiped out by Indians in the Gulf of Mexico. /kloc-only 300 out of 0/000 people survived, and de Soto was also killed. By 1576, almost all the Spanish colonists' strongholds in the Gulf of Mexico were razed to the ground by Indians; French colonists were also defeated by Indian Iroquois tribes in the north; In the Bauhatian War of 1622, Indians destroyed 80 of Virginia's 88 immigrant settlements, and Jamestown, the capital, was razed to the ground. 1675, the colonists launched the "Battle of the Everglades", which wiped out nearly a thousand Narragans at the cost of more than 200 casualties; Almost at the same time, more than 10,000 Indians attacked New England in the Battle of King Philip, destroying more than 50 of the 90 immigrant settlements, which was called the biggest battle launched by Indians in North American history. In the battle, Indians suffered more than twice as many casualties as colonists. In the end, the colonists could only avoid defeat by dividing and ruling and buying Indians. Philippe was killed by a bought Indian. Seeing this makes me feel chilling. I don't know if Indians had a nationalist complex at that time. If the Spaniards were the invaders of the Indians at that time, then in the years when the nation suffered such humiliation, there were constantly "traitors" (imitating China's "traitors"), and this nation's sense of superiority was not necessarily. But if there is no national complex and there is no resistance, can't peace talks be held? After thinking for a long time, it is estimated that Europeans have occupied their resources. However, the United States is so big and has so many resources (well, I'm sorry, I guess they don't know this either). What's more, for primitive people who don't know how to develop and utilize, such a good resource is pure waste. Europeans brought advanced technology and civilization, but Indians used it all their lives and even arrived. The extreme rejection and the first drop of blood caused by Indians finally pushed it to the brink of extinction. The massacre of Indians by European colonists will not be repeated here. However, it is not comprehensive to listen to the killing story of the colonists and deliberately forget the first killing of the Indians.
On the other hand, the Indians at that time also had examples of victory: 1680 Pueblo successfully expelled the Spaniards from the country, and 12 years later the colonists dared not offend them; After the three-year war of 1675- 1678, the Abnaki even forced the British colonists to sign a contract to admit defeat and promised to pay tribute every year. In the North American War of Independence, the Battle of Hamar at 1780 ended in the defeat of General Hamar. 179 1 year, St. Clare was defeated with almost half the casualties. And for a nation that has been destroyed, what's the point?
Another important fact is that before the arrival of the colonists, the Indians were not as peaceful and serene as we advertised? This race actually has more than 300 tribes, and it is still at the end of the primitive clan commune. The killing between these tribes has never stopped, and its barbarity and cruelty far exceed the imagination of the old world. One of the characteristics is that the victorious tribe must kill all the men, women and children of the defeated tribe, and the Indians have not evolved to the point where they need slaves. They value keeping their original country "never change color"; The second is to calculate the meritorious military service according to the number of scalps cut, and those who have outstanding meritorious military service become tribal leaders; The third is migration. There has never been the concept of permanent territory, so it is either abandoned or occupied by other tribes. The return of the colonists mentioned above is nothing more than treating Indians in the way of Indians. What is unfair is only the difference in weapons.
In this long or short history, Indian tribes all participated in the wars between British, French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian colonists. For example, in 1756- 1763, the Iroquois tribes in North America stood on the side of Britain, other tribes in the north stood on the side of France, and the Indian tribes in the south fought against Britain with Spain. Philip and Pontiac, chiefs of the two most powerful tribes in India, were both killed by Indians themselves.
The above description is only for paving the way, because the most important question has not been mentioned here, that is, what role the United States played in this century massacre. If we think that the United States can't be called the United States before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the biggest feature before and after is that the main body of this country-the people-has not changed, but the former is called the British and the latter is called the American. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the attitude and manner of the British towards Indians also represented the attitude and manner of the United States to a certain extent, and we might as well call them Americans. The British colony at that time might as well be called America. So what did Americans do to Indians?
Looking back, the most representative Americans are a group of Protestants who fled Britain at the beginning of 10 because of their different religious views. They arrived in the barren land of Massachusetts on a ship named Mayflower, and the convention named after the ship has become the source of the founding spirit of the United States. Thanksgiving Day, the only local holiday in the United States, comes from the friendly exchanges between new immigrants and Indian tribes commemorating the Mayflower. The so-called "gratitude" means thanking the Massasod Indian tribe for their help.
When the United States became independent, there was no war between new immigrants and Indians. In the North American War of Independence, most Indian tribes sided with Britain and suppressed the Continental Congress of Independence. ), the reason is simple, the chiefs are obsessed with the goods donated by the British colonists. Only a few tribes fought alongside the rebels. For example,1the famous "Wyoming Massacre" in July, 778, the Indian-dominated repressive forces brutally slaughtered nearly 400 peaceful residents who supported independence; However, in the central part of Kentucky, the Independence Army was almost completely fighting the Indians, and the Indians slaughtered nearly 1000 peaceful residents who demanded independence in a cruel Indian traditional way. 1782165438+1October, the brave Indian Shawnee tribe annihilated a unit of the Independent Army, which led General Clark to lead his troops to defeat the tribe and expel it to the west outside 13. It is worth remembering that this was the last land war in the North American War of Independence, which was marked by defeating the Indians and helping the colonists suppress it.
After the independence of North America 13 countries, Britain, France and Spain found that this was the first victory of mankind against colonialism, which inevitably led to the final burial of colonialism. So these three colonial countries joined hands to stop the wave of colonial independence, and the Indians, not the colonists, fought. With the weapons and money provided by the three countries, they constantly attacked the new United States from the west and acted as cannon fodder for the colonists. The previous battle was a victory for the Indians. In the "St. Clair fiasco" in 179 1 year alone, 637 Americans were killed and 263 injured. 1794 in August, the Indians were defeated in the "logging war", and the following year they were forced to sign the Guinevere Peace Treaty, ceding a large area of land from New York State to the Mississippi River. Of course, there are also Indian tribes on the side of the Independent Army, but the number is much smaller.
Tekusem, the most outstanding military leader in Indian history, was born in181-1815 in the Second Anglo-American War. There are less than 20,000 British troops in this war. As Indian tribes joined in one after another, the result was still that Indians helped British colonists suppress the War of Independence. 18 1 1 In the autumn of, Tekusem led the Indians to defeat the American army in Tipkanu; The following year, he led the army to conquer Detroit and captured 2500 American troops. 18 13, he led his troops to fight against the British army, repelled the American counterattacks against Detroit many times, and annihilated a brigade of the American army. The British army handed over 900 American prisoners of war to the Indians, who slaughtered them all. After the American army was reorganized, it launched a counterattack, and Tekusem withdrew from Detroit with the British army. He was chased by American troops in Moravia town and was defeated and killed.
On the east coast battlefield, the British army landed under the leadership of General Ross, once captured Washington and burned all government buildings such as the White House and the Capitol. In the battle of Baltimore, the American army replaced Armstrong, and Monroe took over as the secretary of the army, leading the army to resist stubbornly, eventually killing Ross and defeating the British-Indian Coalition forces. The home of the Stars and Stripes Warriors was born in this battle.
Crete Indians in the south cooperated with the British to raid Fort Mimms, Alabama, killing more than 500 new immigrants. Later, he was retaliated by the Jackson Department of the US Army. From June 18 13 1 to April of the following year, there were six fierce battles. The Indians in Crete were defeated and forced to cede territory for peace. In August, with the encouragement of the British army, Cletus attacked the American army again, fighting fiercely until165438+1October 7, when the American army captured Pensacola, the British-Indian alliance completely collapsed, and the control of the northwest region and Alabama was owned by the United States.
The war not only doubled the size of the United States, but also the alliance between the Indians and the old colonial countries finally collapsed. Encouraged by the victory of the war between the United States and colonialism, the colonies in the western hemisphere have successively launched progressive independent battles. For its own benefit, the United States also actively supported the just struggle of the colonies for independence. When the colonial countries in South America declared their independence, the United States was the only country that immediately recognized them. Russia, Poland, Austria, France and other countries in Europe formed holy alliance, which directly threatened the American independence movement. For example, on 1823, 10, 16 and15, Russia continued to note to the U.S. government that it would never recognize any newly independent country in America, and announced that it would expand the southern territory of its North American colony (Alaska) from 55 degrees north latitude to 5 degrees north latitude. Britain, which originally proposed joint development with the United States because it coveted Spanish colonies in America, suddenly shelved the proposal of joint development after France, which occupied Spain, promised not to send troops to South America, and began to collude with the Holy Alliance in an attempt to interfere with the American independence movement.
In view of these grim situations, Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, issued the Monroe Declaration in the form of a State of the Union address on February 2, 823: European countries should no longer colonize America; European countries "any attempt to expand their systems anywhere in the western hemisphere is a threat to our peace and security"; The United States does not interfere in everything in Europe; American countries have the right to choose a completely different political system from Europe. It takes courage to make such a declaration against European despotism and colonialism when the US military strength is only 1/4 of France and 1/8 of Russia. The Monroe Declaration effectively prevented the Holy Alliance of European veteran colonialists from suppressing the American colonial independence movement that began in 18 10, and ensured the independence of Latin American countries. History has proved that Americans fired the first shot against colonialism and were the last terminator of the colonial system. American history is also an anti-colonial history, but this is another topic.
The Monroe Declaration not only strongly supported the American independence movement, but also ended the alliance between Indians and European colonialism. In view of the fact that the Indians always stood on the side of the colonists and fought against the United States, President Monroe announced that they would not be included in the American system, and established the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824 to adopt the policy of expelling them to the reservation. After losing the powerful ally of the British colonists, the Indians were completely in a weak position.
Another kind of war happened between Indians and new immigrants exploring the west. The western part of the United States is mainly occupied by the old colonists of Britain, France and the West, and conflicts and even struggles sometimes occur between them and the Indians who originally lived in this area. After the independence of the United States, the British king's original law prohibiting immigrants from setting foot in the west was abolished, and the residents of the original American region flocked to the west in large numbers, while a large number of new immigrants flooded into Europe. In view of the fact that the territory of the United States has not yet arrived here, it has adopted a "secret" way to move Indian reservations in the east and west in a planned way.
In this way, there has been a complex struggle between new immigrants, indigenous Indians and migrant Indians. These struggles later became an inexhaustible resource for Hollywood westerns. James polk, president of 1 1 USA 1844, took the conquest of the west as the campaign theme to fulfill the "destiny" of the United States. He annexed Texas immediately after he took office, and then immigrants launched the "White Bear Banner Uprising" to declare California independence; The US-Mexico War was defeated by Mexico, and American territory extended from Mississippi to the east coast of the Pacific Ocean. During this period, the American government signed a series of treaties with Indian tribes, forcing Indians to move to designated areas. According to statistics, from the independence of the United States to 1887, there were 370 such treaties, with only one goal, depriving Indians of places conducive to development and using them to develop the western region.
Starting from 1850, 4/5 of the American troops were confined by Indians in the western region, and the war lasted for ten years and 22 battles. 1832 Cermino War broke out, and the US military mobilized 5,000 people and 20,000 volunteers to forcibly relocate Seminoles. Under the leadership of osceola, the Indians used the convenience of swamp jungle and river network to fight against the American army, which suffered heavy losses. 1835- 1842 In the past seven years, the US military has changed eight commanders. In the end, Osola was captured by the strategic forces, and the fighting ended. During the period of 10, more than 2,000 people died in the battle and the loss exceeded 50 million dollars. Ironically, sporadic fighting among Florida Indians continued until 1939.
In northern Illinois, the Black Hawk War broke out from 1832. The Indian chief "Black Hawk" was brave and witty, and attacked the American army in a mysterious way, causing heavy casualties to the American army. In the end, the Black Hawk was defeated and captured, but he became an American hero. An advanced helicopter gunship is named after the Black Hawk. His tactics were included in the compulsory course of West Point Military Academy together with guerrilla warfare in Mao Zedong. Those who talk about "learning from Lei Feng at West Point Military Academy" don't know that West Point Military Academy really has the status of Mao Zedong. His portrait ranks around 35th, and his grandson ranks 3rd.
By the time the civil war broke out, the Indians basically stood in the south and fought to the death with the northern army. 1862, Sioux Indians launched a rebellion, and then Apache also launched a rebellion, forcing the northern army to adjust its troops to face the northern Indians, which was in a position of being attacked by both Scylla and Charybdis and suffered a heavy blow. If Indian tribes had not fought against each other, perhaps America would have ceased to exist. Today, the American military weapon Apache helicopter gunship is named after this brave Indian tribe.
Since the founding of the United States, most Indian tribes have been enemies of the United States, first on the side of the colonists, and then on the side of the southern slave owners, causing deep hatred. After defeating the Confederate army, the United States was determined to eradicate this threat and turn passive defense into active attack on Indians. The crusade launched by the United States is cruel. What needs to be explained here is that there are also a few Indian tribes in the United States, but they have joined the US military. In the battle with Indian tribes, some American troops even have more than half of Indians.
1864, the Sherman brothers led an active crusade against Indians. Later, Grant, a hero of the American Civil War, even threatened to "exterminate all Indian tribes." The U.S. government allocated 1 billion dollars, and the U.S. military used the method of encirclement and suppression of bison, the main food of Indians, to cut off the food source of Indians and force them to surrender. By 1880, the number of bison in North America had decreased from13 million to less than 1000, basically disappearing. This method really worked, and the Indian tribes who lost their food gave up their resistance.
The us military also recruited a large number of Indians to join the army and fight against Indian tribes. Indian tribes in Croute also participated in the US military's encirclement and suppression of Apache tribes. Brigadier General Camby, who was killed by the Sioux, became the highest officer killed by the US military. By 1890, American troops had fought Indian tribes 1067 times. The war between Indian tribes and American troops continued until the Battle of Wounded Knee River on February 29th, 890. In this battle, 25 Americans were killed and 150 Indians were killed. After the war, the Indians ended their last battle.
What a thrilling war history, but in this protracted war, who will control the fate of Indians, Americans or Indians themselves? This answer can only be thought of slowly by yourself.