December 1, 1927
To the mayor of Chicago:
1 You tell all white men “America First.” We believe in that. We are the only ones, truly, that are one hundred percent. We therefore ask you, while you are teaching schoolchildren about America First, teach them truth about the First Americans.
2 We do not know if school histories are pro-British, but we do know that they are unjust to the life of our people – the American Indian. They call all white victories battles and all Indian victories massacres. The battle with Custer has been taught to schoolchildren as a fearful massacre on our part. We ask that this, as well as other incidents, be told fairly. If the Custer battle was a massacre, what was Wounded Knee?
3 History books teach that Indians were murderers – is it murder to fight in self-defense? Indians killed white men because white men took their lands, ruined their hunting grounds, burned their forests, destroyed their buffalo. White men penned our people on reservations, then took away the reservations. White men who rise to protect their property are called patriots – Indians who do the same are called murderers.
4 White men call Indians treacherous – but no mention is made of broken treaties on the part of the white man. White men say that Indians were always fighting. It was only our lack of skill in white man’s warfare that led to our defeat. An Indian mother prayed that her boy be a great medicine man rather than a great warrior. It is true we had our own small battles, but in the main we were peace loving and home loving.
5 White men called Indians thieves – and yet we lived in frail skin lodges and needed no locks or iron bars. White men call Indian savages. What is civilization? Its marks are noble religion and philosophy, original arts, stirring music, rich story, and legend. We had these. Then we were not savages, but a civilized race.
6 We made blankets that were beautiful, that the white man with all his machinery has never been able to duplicate. We made baskets that were beautiful. We wove in beads and colored quills designs that were not just decorative motifs but were the outward expression of our very thoughts. We made pottery – pottery that was useful, and beautiful as well. Why not make schoolchildren acquainted with the beautiful handicrafts in which we were skilled? Put in every school Indian blankets, baskets, pottery.
7 We sang songs that carried in their melodies all the sounds of nature - the running of waters, the sighing of winds, and the calls of the animals. Teach these to your children that they may come to love nature as we love it.
8 We had our statemen – and their oratory has never been equaled. Teach the children some of these speeches of our people, remarkable for their brilliant oratory.
9 We played games – games that brought good health and sound bodies. Why not put these in your schools? We told stories. Why not teach schoolchildren more of the wholesome proverbs and legends or our people? Tell them how we loved all that was beautiful. That we killed game only for food, not for fun. Indians think white men who kill for fun are murderers.
10 Tell your children of the friendly acts of Indians to the white people who first settled here. Tell them of our leaders and heroes and their deeds. Tell them of Indians such as Black Partridge, Shabbona, and others who many times saved the people of Chicago at great danger to themselves. Put in your history books the Indian’s part in the World War. Tell how the Indian fought for a country of which he was not a citizen, for a flag to which he had no claim, and for a people that have treated him unjustly.
11 The Indian has long been hurt by these unfair books. We ask only that our story be told in fairness. We do not ask you to overlook what we did, but we do ask you to understand it. A true program of American First will give a generous place to the culture and history of American Indian.
12 We ask this, Chief, to keep sacred the memory of our people.
Chief Joseph
Hinmatoowyalahtqit (pronounced In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat)
name meaning - thunder rolling down the mountain
March 3rd 1840 - September 21st 1904
On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph surrendered in the Bears Paw Mountains of Montana. Chief Joseph took the name of his father, (Old) Chief Joseph, or Joseph the Elder. When his father died in 1871, he became the successor. He continued his father’s efforts to secure the Nez Percé claim to their land while remaining peaceful towards the whites. In 1873, Chief Joseph negotiated with the federal government to ensure that his people could stay on their land in the Wallowa Valley as stipulated in 1855 land treaties with the U.S. government. But, in a reversal of policy in 1877, General Oliver Otis Howard threatened to attack if the Indians did not relocate to an Idaho reservation. Chief Joseph reluctantly agreed. He led a band of about 700 Nez Percé Indians—fewer than 200 of whom were warriors, towards freedom—nearly reaching the Canadian border. For over three months, the nez percé had outmaneuvered and battled their pursuers traveling some 1,000 miles across Oregon Washington Idaho and Montana. By the time Chief Joseph surrendered, more than 200 of his followers had died.
Chief Joseph's Surrender Speech - October 5th, 1877
"Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Too-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are, perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
How does the author of the letter differ from the author of the speech?
Be sure to:
answer in a complete sentence
cite your answer using evidence from the text
explain what you’ve stated and summarize the main idea