ERIC Number: EJ868378
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Nov
Pages: 19
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-2745
EISSN: N/A
Leader and Spokesman for a People in Exile: Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce
Jain, Samvit
History Teacher, v43 n1 p121-139 Nov 2009
This article discusses Chief Joseph's surrender that marked the beginning of his diplomatic stand for justice in Indian Territory, where his tribe was forcibly exiled in accordance with American Indian policy of the time. Joseph battled for the repatriation of the Nez Perce through protests and other legal means, winning the support of the growing Indian rights movement of the 1880s. Through his efforts, Joseph forced the government to act on his demands, leaving a foundation for American Indian rights activism and policy reform in the twentieth century. As part of the surrender negotiations, Chief Joseph was promised that his people would be returned to the Idaho reservation in the spring of 1878. In the following months, however, federal officials at the highest levels of the military and Indian Bureau decided to override the surrender terms. Joseph's diplomacy led many to conclude that they had not studied the Nez Perce view of the war or its origins, and his demands stirred the conscience of government officials and the public. Joseph's diplomatic success as an influential individual in history set the stage for major legal changes in American Indian policy, and inspired the Nez Perce to continue the battle for their aboriginal rights. (Contains 45 notes.)
Descriptors: American Indians, American Indian Education, Federal Indian Relationship, Civil Rights, Activism, American Indian History, United States History, Foreign Policy, Biographies
Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.thehistoryteacher.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A