How Did Alcatraz Affect America

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How Did the Occupation of Alcatraz Affect American Indians Civil Rights The Occupation of Alcatraz had a direct effect on gaining American Indians civil rights since it was a full scale occupation by American Indians lasted from November 20, 1969 until June 11, 1971. The occupation of Alcatraz on November 20, 1969 was held by Richard Oakes, a group of Indian students, with a group of urban Indians from the San Francisco Bay Area, and they called themselves Indians of All Tribes (IOAT) since different tribes were represented in this event. Their claim was that “We will purchase said Alcatraz Island for twenty-four dollars ($24) in glass beads and red cloth, a precedent set by the white man's purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago”,…show more content…
Since president Richard Nixon realized the American Indians were pressured by his man, he was pretty upset. He reputedly felt betrayed, and claimed that “he was through doing things to help Indians”. In Nixon’s July 8, 1970 speech, he said that “The time has come to break decisively with the past and to create the conditions for a new era in which the Indian future is determined by Indian acts and Indian decisions”. This included the right to control and operate federal programs, Indian education, economic development legislation, more money for Indian health, helping urban Indians, etc,. For example, economic development has been stepped up. Of 195 commercial and industrial enterprises which have been established in Indian areas with BIA assistance, 71 have come into operation within the last two years. These enterprises provide jobs for more than 6,000 Indians and are expected to employ substantially more when full capacity is reached. A number of these businesses are now owned by Indians and many others are managed by them, adopted from Nixon’s speech. This was the turning point of American Indians civil rights after Occupation of Alcatraz, gained numerous benefits for American
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