Is Mt. Rushmore a shrine of HYPOCRISY? It was carved upon sacred Lakota land which by treaty is ours for as?

Question

long as the grass shall grow and the river shall flow, but then Custer found gold! H( he was later dressed up in an arrow shirt for tresspassing, he eventually got the point)
The four faces carved on stolen Indian lands supposedly represent the four most notable presidents of the United States. With their ideals and values defined through the study of Iroquois society, America's founding fathers are indebted to the Lakota and all Indian peoples for their mere existence. But, in the Sacred Black Hills (our church, our synagogue, our temple) those presidents carved on that granite rock were more than mere democratic deviants.
The founding fathers on that rock shared common characteristics. All four valued white supremacy and promoted the extirpation of Indian society. The United States' founding fathers were staunchly anti-Indian advocates in that at one time or another, all four provided for genocide against Indian peoples of this hemisphere.

George Washington...
In 1779, George Washington instructed Major General John Sullivan to attack Iroquois people. Washington stated, "lay waste all the settlements around...that the country may not be merely overrun, but destroyed". In the course of the carnage and annihilation of Indian people, Washington also instructed his general not "listen to any overture of peace before the total ruin of their settlements is effected".
In 1783, Washington's anti-Indian sentiments were apparent in his comparisons of Indians with wolves: "Both being beast of prey, tho' they differ in shape", he said. Troops would skin the bodies of Iroquois "from the hips downward to make boot tops or leggings". Indians who survived the attacks later re-named the nation's first president as "Town Destroyer". Approximately 28 of 30 Seneca towns had been destroyed within a five year period.

Thomas Jefferson...
In 1807, Thomas Jefferson instructed his War Department that, should any Indians resist against America stealing Indian lands, the Indian resistance must be met with "the hatchet". Jefferson continued, "And...if ever we are constrained to lift the hatchet against any tribe, " he wrote, "we will never lay it down till that tribe is exterminated, or is driven beyond the Mississippi." Jefferson, the slave owner, continued, "in war, they will kill some of us; we shall destroy all of them".
In 1812, Jefferson said that American was obliged to push the backward Indians "with the beasts of the forests into the Stony Mountains". One year later Jefferson continued anti-Indian statements by adding that America must "pursue [the Indians] to extermination, or drive them to new seats beyond our reach".

Abraham Lincoln...
In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln ordered the execution, by hanging, of 38 Dakota Sioux prisoners in Mankato, Minnesota. Most of those executed were holy men or political leaders of their camps. None of them were responsible for committing the crimes they were accused of. Coined as the Largest Mass Execution in U.S. History. (Brown, Dee. BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE. New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1970. pp. 59-61)

Theodore Roosevelt This Indian fighter firmly grasped the notion of Manifest Destiny saying that America's extermination of the Indians and thefts our their lands "was ultimately beneficial as it was inevitable". Roosevelt once said, "I don't go so far as to think that the only good Indians are dead Indians, but I believe nine out of ten are, and I shouldn't like to inquire too closely into the case of the tenth".

Historical Antecedents:
In 1851, an agreement as reached by delegates of traditional Lakota peoples and the United States of America which promised large areas of land for which the Lakota peoples would roam freely upon. After violating stipulations in the treaty, the U.S. sought another accord with both parties promising to reserve lands for the Lakota peoples. The second treaty, known as the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty, required 3/4 of the adult male population of the Lakota Nation to vote in agreement upon relinquishing or selling all lands provided in this document.
This treaty also promised to punish whosoever would break the trust.

the treaty was again violated by the U.S. through repetitive attacks on Lakota camps in the Little Bighorn Battle of 1876 and in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.
In 1877, the Manypenny Commission Treaty agreement was made in total violation of Article 12 of the 1868 Treaty earlier declaring 3/4 majority vote required in order to further cede any portions of lands to the U.S.
In 1980, the U.S. awarded monetary compensation of the land theft. The blatant violations of their own laws against Lakota peoples were what they called "dishonorable dealings" in the history of America. The Lakota Treaty Advocates and Supporters nationwide unilaterally rejected the money. Instead, the desire to achieve the return of stolen lands grew stronger. The land has never been legally sold.

Answer 1

The US has never kept treaties. They are just words on paper. Much like the Constitution. They have always been a power hungry nation. You're right, Custer got what he deserved. What were Custer's last words? "Where did all those f'ing Indians come from?"

Answer 2

Most excellent. I know that even tho I do have some Native American running throught my veins, that some of my ancestors did help ruin the indian nations somewhere down the line, as some of my ancestors I am sure had slaves at one time or another also. And also there have been some "halfhearted" attempts to repair some of the damage done to the Native Americans, but, now the people that have researched, as obviously you have, should try to organize and work toward a non-confrontational, no pointing fingers goal of repatriating the Native Americans and the lands and animal that they need to survive on.
Note I said Native Americans, there should be no Irish-American, Latin-American, and African-American. The Native Americans should be the only ones with the right to have America put behind their name, the others are Americans first then add whatever you feel you must add if you need to add anything. You really shouldn't as we are all Americans and the Native American Indian was here before we came and they should be the only ones in America to have a name added to the America.
Anyhows, good job guy.

Answer 3

George Halas - The Super Bowl trophy should be named after Halas, but that's a different argument for a different day. 8 World titles, a founding father of the NFL, and an impactful innovator of which the NFL never would've become what it became if hadn't been involved. Curly Lambeau - He was one of the first great coaches of the NFL (6 World Championships). He was part of founding the NFL and he was the creator of the Green Bay Packers, so without Lambeau there is no Packers and therefore Vince Lombardi never becomes "Vince Lombardi". Steve Sabol Sr. and/or Steve Sabol Jr. - Bottom line, most people watching football today who are at least 30 but under 45 got interested because of NFL films. NFL Films told the story of pro football in a way that no other sports film company was ever able to duplicate. The Sabol's are GIANTS, and I attribute much of the success of pro football in the modern era to the incredible films that these men put together. Roone Arledge - For all the credit Pete Rozelle gets for the merger, let's understand that without Roone Arledge's work to get the AFL on TV, the AFL would've died, there never would've been a Super Bowl, and there never would've been a merger. Also, Roone Arledge was the mastermind behind Monday Night Football which is now an afterthought, but in 1970 and up to about 1995, MNF was an iconic staple that everyone who loved football waited for.

Answer 4

No one can deny that the US has an abysmal record when it comes to honoring treaties. Always has, always will.

On the other hand, people have this rosy image of just how great things were in this hemisphere before mean old Whitey showed up.

When the Europeans first arrived in the Americas they met, for the most part, stone age peoples. They were also greeted first by the warriors, something that gets little mention in the age of political correctness.

The Arawaks and Caribs who met Columbus were experienced warriors who used poisoned arrows, took slaves, raped women, and yes, practiced cannibalism. War existed in the Americas for thousands of years before 1492.

The French preferred trade to armed conquest in Canada, but they too reported cannibalism right into the 18th century.

The Spanish, no strangers to war atrocities, met both the mighty Aztec and Inca armies. Some people love to hold up these empires as examples of high civilization, and there is doubt about the sophistication of their architecture and agriculture, but in the final assessment, those empires were founded exactly the same way that any European, African, or Asian empire ever was: by the sword and the torch. Those indians were no different than any other human group.

One should also keep in mind the quaint Aztec custom of cutting the still-beating hearts out of POWs to feed the Sun god, and of skinning people alive so the priests could wear the victim's skin in religious ceremonies. Nice people.

When the English arrived in Virginia they encountered the warriors of a great chief named Powhatan. Powhatan's kingdom encompassed 30 local tribes and approximately 20,000 people. These people didn't vote for Powhatan; he and his predecessors conquered their neighbors with all of the skill and ruthlessness of any European king or prince.

And finally, let's not forget that Washington's first encounter with indians was in the French and Indian war, in which he saw first hand how effective Indian warriors were on the battlefield. The British used Indian mercenaries throughout the Revolutionary War, and on more than one occasion they were unable to keep their allies from massacring American POWs and wounded.

War is hell, but the White man didn't invent it, nor did he import it to the Americas in 1492. He didn't do anything the Indians hadn't been doing to each other for millennia; he only did it to a greater degree thanks to modern weapons and European diseases.

So to answer the question, is Mount Rushmore a shrine of hypocrisy? I guess it depends on which side your people fought on. History is written by the winners, but over time history gets distorted by people who are too far removed from the actual events.

If you want to talk about hypocrisy, and racism, just look at the lies that paint the Indians as peaceful farmers who just wanted to plant corn and string beads until mean ol' Whitey showed up. They were NO different from the Europeans, with all of their faults.

Answer 5

Paul, if the history books were re-written (and they should be) much of this should be in it. I would personally like to see the Crazy Horse Memorial completed in the same painstaking manner as Mount Rushmore, funded by the American government.

"Crazy Horse has never been known to have signed a treaty or touched a pen". Maybe he knew the futility of making such agreements with our government.

Answer 6

Although the events in the past are regrettable, it is important now for the Native Americans to join the party. Instead of taking a negative (albeit accurate) view of former events, those events are in the past. It is time for all people to come out of the victim mentality. Only by empowering yourselves to join the world will you be able to make strides for the betterment of people. Make sure the past is accurately recorded, learn from it, and move on.

Answer 7

<----Admission of Bias

Not of hypocrisy, just of stupidity of the builders. They built on what has been by treaty Lakota lands. Lands never purchased [yes I know the feds put money in an account for it but it was never touched/used]

Answer 8

It is a fallacy to apply 21st Century values retroactively. The world was different in its thinking, and no one man, group or even country could change that world.

Answer 9

Thank you so much for your question. You're absolutly right. Greed and the lust for power is what made this nation what it is today.

Answer 10

Sure. You go do that and I'll go back to Scotland and tell everybody over there to get off my land because my family lived there hundreds of years ago. Maybe we could even start a foundation or something......
I don't think I could live without sarcasm.