Wheeler Howard Act. Voices of Freedom by Eric Foner Term Paper

Wheeler Howard Act. Voices of Freedom by Eric Foner - Term Paper Example Making 0.9% of the US population the Indian Americans live in different parts of the country and are estimated to be as many as 2.9Million (as per the census of 2010). Since, the number is not ordinary and the group is a major one therefore the members required a proper set of rules and standards, which had allowed them to live freely and as per their will just like any other American citizen. In this regard, different laws have been passed in the American legislation so far. This paper aims to study the Wheeler Howard Act in reference to four of the primary sources / documents presented in Voices of Freedom by Eric Foner in detail. Background: A law is needed when anything goes wrong or is against any other law or right of any individual, estate, or any other thing. The Wheeler Howard Act generally known as the Indian Reorganization Act of 1938 was a replacement of the old Dawes Act also known as the Indian General Allotment Act of 1887. The Dawes Act worked properly initially howev er later it turned out to be destructive. As a consequence of Dawes Act, the Native Americans land which once calculated in 1887 was totaling to a sum of 138 million acres while by 1934 it reduced enormously to 48 million acres. The consequences were so immense and worst that poverty and major loss of tribal lands of the Native Americans was increasing day by day as the land was being sold to the white people. Two different surveys were conducted in order to know the exact reason for this. One was the Meriam report, while the other one was the Senate systematic investigation both concluded the same results that the previous law was destructing the tribal lands1. The Wheeler Howard Act: The Wheeler Howard Act or the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 terminated and replaced the Dawes Act. The law also imposed limits and restrictions on the sale of the Indian American land. The Secretary of states was also approached and was asked to purchase and reserve more lands for the Native India n Americans. However, many of the Americans have a different perspective regarding the freedom and the allowance of migration of the Non Americans to America to seek freedom2. In the book Voices of Freedom, Eric Foner has highlighted different eras, issues, and revolutions of the American history, freedom and liberation. However, as a part of American freedom he has also talked about the Wheeler Howard Act and demand and ongoing issues of the Americans / Native Americans at that very moment. Since, Foner is one of the finest historian of the political and social history and a specialist on the American Reconstruction period his documents are highly credible and appreciated3. The book is a series of different documents, all representing the American history and freedom. In one of the documents, Foner discussed regarding the history of Native Americans, the issues surrounding them; immigration and the different controversies. Obviously, Foner is very well aware of the Wheeler Howard A ct. He tried to cover the topic in a way that it showed every aspect of the America, its freedom, reconstruction and the major conflicts of Americans. In one letter presented in the book by Foner, a Native American / Indian American writes to his family for how happy he is as he has been provided with land and he can settle anywhere after the Wheeler Howard Act. He was happy that he made the decision of coming to America. He thought of it as freedom and considered America as a free country. He got what he was promised for4. According to a perception it is believed that Foner was not happy with the Wheeler Howard Act as in another article presented in the