The Native American tribes of the United States have been fighting for their rights since the arrival of the first Europeans to this country. In Colonial times, disease and forced migration killed as many as 90% of Native Americans. They were pushed to move westward as European Settlers took over their land to establish their new government. Following this, a series of laws and regulations -- the Indian Removal Act, the Indian Appropriations Act of 1871, and the General Allotment Act of 1887, for example -- stripped the Native Americans of rights to the land they had once owned. Forced to live on reservations, many of them lived in poverty, had low employment, and had inadequate access to education. In fact, they werent even allowed to vote until 1924 with the passing of the Indian Citizen Act, which gave Native Americans full citizenship in the United States. But even after the passing of the bill, it was 1948 until all states allowed Native Americans to vote. In the late sixties, the Indian Civil Rights Act became a law, as well as the Indian Bill of Rights which guaranteed important civil rights for Native Americans. Although there has been some progress made, there are still many complicated issues connected to Native American rights.
