Immigration...Native American: United States Citizenship


*United States Citizenship for the Native American*
By 1900, the Native American population in the United States had dwindled to approximately 250,000. The perceived diminishing of a “Native American threat” to white prosperity sometimes relegated Native Americans to little more than a novelty act. For example, Thomas Edison’s turn-of-the-century films such as Buffalo Dance, Sioux Ghost Dance, and the Sham Battle at the Pan-American Exposition documented traditional performances created for the interest and amusement of people attending an ethnic village in a World’s Fair. Meanwhile, materials such as the 1898 film, Indian Day School, and the 1923 map of Indian Reservations West of the Mississippi River documented the harsh new realities of Native American culture.	Indian Reservations west of the Mississippi River. Map Collections, 1500-2004

On June 2, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill granting Native Americans full citizenship. Coolidge posed with four Osage Indians in front of the White House to commemorate the event.

Osage Indians.
Prosperity and Thrift, 1921-1929

President Coolidge being made
Sioux Chief by Henry Standing Bear.
Prosperity and Thrift, 1921-1929

Three years later, the president’s photo opportunities included wearing a suit and feathered headdress when he was made a Sioux Chief as well as standing in front of the White House with some veterans of the Indian Wars.


	Destroying the Native American Cultures \| Removing Native Americans from their Land \| Civil War Years \| 19th Century Perceptions \| Custer's Last Stand ... Aftermath \| Losses \| Disaster at Wounded Knee \| United States Citizenship for the Native American \| The Future for Native Americans?


last updated 04/08/03 view enhanced version

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