DECEMBER 20, 2009

OBAMA SIGNS NATIVE AMERICAN APOLOGY RESOLUTION

Contained within the 2010 defense appropriations act, an “apology to Native Peoples of the United States” was the result of a bipartisan effort led by Senators Sam Brownback (R., Kan.) & Byron Dorgan (D., N.D.) which began in 2004. The apology read, in part, that the U.S. “recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes.” The U.S. “apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States,” and that it is committed “to move toward a brighter future where all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land together.” Congress previously approved apologies to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II and to Native Hawaiians for the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

Sources:
  John D. McKinnon, “U.S. Offers An Official Apology to Native Americans,” Wall Street Journal, 12/22/2009.  Retrieved 7/7/2009, U.S. Offers An Official Apology to Native Americans - WSJ
Photo:  White House, 12/20/2009.  President Obama signs Official Apology.  Public Domain.  Source: Native American Heritage Timeline 20th – 21st Century | Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (nih.gov)