If the Native Americans had decided they didn't want white people, should they have the right to prevent it?

Question

Who should have the right to determine immigration policy?

Should it be the people currently living in the target area? Should it only be the citizens living in the target area? Should immigrants have the right to freely go anywhere they please? Should the country where the immigrants are from have a say?

Answer 1

Despite the fact that white people try to portray Native Americans as savages the truth is that the whites would not have survived even the first winter without the help of the Native Americans. The "savage" part came in when the whites - coming in droves - decided to take over the land and make the Native Americans live in reservations. The Natives fought bravely to try to defend their land. How does that make them a savage? I don't know. White men are the true savages. We take whatever it is we see that we want and then make our own "rules" that we expect everybody else to follow. Pretty pathetic isn't it?

Answer 2

They did have the right and did fight. No people shouldn't just get to wander where there please. What? Murder, steal, rape, pillage and then on to the next town? Next country? No thanks. The citizens in the country have the right to determine policy as well as what the economy and land mass can safely support. The country in which the immigrants come from should have no say in another countries policies. I guess if people in a targeted area can say they want them even when they're breaking the law ,then it's also the right for areas that don't ,to keep them out.

And suspendor......seems more and more this talk on illegal immigration isn't about immigrating either. Legal or illegal. It sounds more and more like a conquest story everyday. Live in the past and punish people for something they had no part in. "Our land", "our people", etc. etc. Not willing to abide by any laws. Crying "racism" at every turn. Demanding rights that aren't even your's to demand. Rights that show no respect in turn. Bully mentality. "Whites" only, as if America isn't filled with lots of other people. There were asians and blacks here then ya know. Some blacks went with Indians and even white people and asians and all the way around again. Every white person didn't own and mis-treat slaves infact many tried to free them. Heard of the underground tunnels? So get off it already.

Answer 3

The USA wasn't a country, there wasn't any immigration laws.
There was no visa or passports. There weren't any planes.
They traveled by wooden ships that took sometimes up to two years to get here.
The Indians didn't even claim the land. It is the Indians today that babble about who owned this country it is not even relevant.
The Indians today own million of acres of land and the ones that don't have gambling Casinos so don't feel to sorry for them.
If most of the people read history they would know most of these radical ranter are just that. Ranting and Raving.
People here should be more concern on what is going on here today and their future. Living in the past is a waste of time and energy.

Answer 4

"Native Americans" didn't have a National Government so that is a moot question.

We as Americans have the right and responsibility to determine "Immigration policy" for our nation just as each and every country on the planet has the right and responsibility to determine their immigration policy.

The Countries where the immigrants are coming from have no say and should not have any say about our (USA) immigration policy.

And yes if the immigrants are in the country legally then I have no problem with them going where they please.

Answer 5

We DID decide we didn't want you White Eyes on the Land, because you did not respect it. But it didn't do much good. You had technology that we did not have. And there were so MANY of you! In your case, it was not immigration. It was a war of conquest.

Answer 6

They certainly had the right to try, and some of them did try. They pushed each other out of territories, as well.

Since once they are in they are a burden to schools and services througout the country, the entire country is the 'target' area.

No, the country failing to live up to its responsiblilities to its own people, and failing to keep its people on its side should have no say at all. Does your neighbor whose kids keep sneaking into your pool have a right to say you can't put up a fence? They are lucky you aren't taking it further, like to the police (in that instance.)

Answer 7

The people in control set immigration policy. If you've ever taken a US History course you would know that the Native Americans did try and prevent it. We won! It's called the power and we have it.

Get legal, learn English, assimilate or get the hell out of my country!

Answer 8

Native Americans weren't the first people here either. One theory says they crossed in groups over many hundreds of years (or even thousands of years) over the land bridge in Alaska that's no longer linked to Russia. Another theory says at least some landed on the west coast in boats over thousands of years.

Some Native American tribes drove other NA tribes off their land and took it over. They fought with each other, killed each other, helped drive many species of animals to extinction, and so on. These are nasty little secrets scientists have been uncovering for decades (and what "old timers" knew for centuries), also what historical documents show, but that NA tribes don't like to admit happened.

Where I'm living now, many tribes have received land claim settlements, but they didn't traditionally live on the land their on now -- didn't even live in the country -- but were relocated either because they were trouble-makers (picking on other tribes mercilessly) or were being picked on mercilessly. Many tribes were nomadic and covered a lot of territory in their lifetimes, and didn't consider themselves "owners" of the land. So NAs here have been given money and land even though they lived hundreds or even thousands of miles away even a hundred years ago.

Some tribes here have been fighting with every other tribe for as long as they can remember and white people are the referees and peace-enforcers. Historically, many tribes here didn't use resources wisely -- for example the Buffalo Jumps. They would drive an entire herd of buffalo (sometimes hundreds and hundreds of animals) off a big cliff and then take what they wanted in the way of meat or hides from the dying animals lying in a heap at the bottom of the cliff. They left all the rest to die and rot -- which were sometimes dozens or hundreds of animals -- or would use wounded animals as "target practise" and let the animal slowly die and not make use of it's meat, hide, or anything. Archeological evidence shows this clearly.

Scientific evidence also shows the tribes around now were preceded by "The Ancient Ones" -- tribes that died out but occupied the land long before the ones now in existence did. One example is the Anasazi.

NAs lives were generally short, sometimes violent, and frought with danger and disease. Whites brought more diseases, but also helped them.

It hasn't been perfect. Giving up the nomadic lifestyle and dining on European cuisine has brought huge health problems including diabetes, obesity, heart problems, and so on. But perhaps if enough NAs had lived past 40 in generations past these diseases would have turned up anyway. Who knows for sure.

But I also know Viking remains and graves (and dna) have been found all over North America going back more than 1,000 years. They settled in some areas, so perhaps their descendents should have a right to that property, since NA tribes in the area weren't there over 1,000 years ago.

Everyone comes from somewhere, and no one in North America, Central America, or South America, has Rights to anything going back more than a couple thousand years.

If you look at Australia, their Aboriginee culture (including dna evidence and cave drawings) go back over 10,000 years. But they weren't perfect either. Archeological evidence shows they set huge brush fires to presumably flush out game.

In New Zealand, many species of native animals and birds were driven to extinction by the Maoris, including the biggest eagle-like bird in the world.

No culture is perfect, we've all made mistakes, and we all need to call somewhere "home". I just wish people would simply call themselves the Human Race and get along better.

Answer 9

They had horrible immigration laws back then. In hindsight, they probably should have built a wall.

Answer 10

Our government (such as it is) makes the laws..I am so tired of all the stupid rhetoric about Indians & Blacks...We are all Americans no matter what you call us...this illegal immigrant issue our country is facing is very serious - the most serious war we have ever fought and the odds are not good we are going to win......