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American History

35 Times the US Trampled on Native American Rights

Plimoth Patuxet Museums - Thanksgiving
Jennie A. Brownscombe's "The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth" from 1914. Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain.

10. The Settlement of Alaska Brought a New Era of Violations of Native American Rights

The Russian settlement of St. Paul’s Harbor, Kodiak Island in 1814. Drawn by Captain Lisiansky, engraved by I. Clark, and published by John Booth / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain.

In 1867, William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia. The problem with the purchase is that Russia didn’t own Alaska – it had settled the land that was already occupied by tribes of Alaska Natives. The US paid money for something that the other person didn’t actually have. The area of Alaska belonged to the Inupiaq, Athabascan, Tlingit, and many other tribes.

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