The American Indian Movement (AIM) was an organization of Native American civil rights activists created in 1968. The organization was created to give Native American parties a voice in politics and to help them gain more equal rights. The AIM was founded during the summer of 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A meeting was called by Native American civil rights activists George Michell, Dennis Banks, and Clyde Bellecourt that drew a community of about 200 Native Americans to talk about how they were being abused by federal government and how they could take control and gain more right for Native American people. This small gathering was the beginning to the American Indian Movement. On November 20th, 1969, Native American activists of many different tribes from the AIM traveled by boat to Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. They were met by a blockade of coast guard but they still overcame them. The total of 79 Native Americans landed on Alcatraz Island, and to have their actions be heard they released the “Alcatraz Proclamation.” This stated that the Native Americans were taking back Alcatraz Island as an Indian reservation, and they would compensate the U.S. government for the island with $24 worth of cloth and beads, which is much more than what U.S. government originally paid Natives for their land. The occupation of Alcatraz lasted 18 months but slowly occupants lost heart and on June 11th, 1971 the last Native American occupants of Alcatraz were removed by government forces.
Works Cited: “American Indian Movement.” Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013 http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/society/american-indian-movement.html
“HISTORY TOPICS.” American Indian Movement (AIM) : Library : MNHS.ORG. Minnesota Historical Society, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013. http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/93aim.html
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