Native American views on USA's 250th

Different views on USA's 250th anniversary - 13th July 2026

The United States of America is celebrating its 250th anniversary. This is an important moment for Native American peoples too.

The US Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. It says that "all men are created equal". But this doesn't include Native Americans, who are called "Savages". Historians are asking the US to use this anniversary to tell the whole story.

The US government forced Native Nations from their homelands for centuries. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act ordered 60,000 out of the Southeast.

Native Americans and their Black slaves had to move west of the Mississippi. The long journey west was dangerous. Cold, disease and hunger killed between 4,000 and 15,000 people.

The government also wanted to stop Native American culture. It forced children to study at special schools. These children were separated from their families. They were given English names, clothes and haircuts.

The schools banned native languages and culture. They taught the children Christianity instead.

Tracy Canard Goodluck works for the Center for Native American Youth. She's from the Oneida Nation. She thinks that the anniversary "should be about all history".

In the past, the government dehumanised Native Nations. Canard Goodluck says that people need to change this. "We're still here. We're doctors, lawyers, teachers and political leaders."