Wolfe\u2019s article titled Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native <\/i>raised some very interesting points that I can\u2019t say I have ever thought of before. Basically he was saying that in North America, the Native Americans experienced genocide by colonist settlers. \u00a0He defined this point by saying that \u201cEven where native sovereignty was recognized, however, ultimate dominion over the territory in question was held to inhere in the European sovereign in whose name it had been \u201cdiscovered.\u201d (5) The Europeans claimed the land as their own, and disregarded the fact that the Native Americans were there first.\u00a0 They wanted to \u201celiminate\u201d the Native Americans by relocating them to other land. They justified their actions by saying the Native Americans were \u201cunsettled, nomadic, rootless\u201d and that the settlers could improve the land by creating new farms, mining etc. (10) One of my classmates references this by saying \u201cGeorgia, being the prime example, began eagerly removing the Cherokee people and were prepared to stand up to National military force to do so.\u201d <\/a>They were just uncomfortable with having them there. Wolfe ultimately explains his main point that once the frontier ran out and the settlers began the process of assimilation with the Native Americans, genocide occurred because they destroyed the collective group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While this definitely made me think about the settlers actions, I can\u2019t say that I am persuaded. Compared to other genocides he mentions like the Holocaust and Rwanda, I can\u2019t follow his argument. Reading this article did make me realize that the settlers may not have treated the Native Americans in the best possible manner, but it by no means was genocide. \u00a0They did treat the Native Americans poorly, killed many, and assimilate a lot, but I still don\u2019t classify that as genocide. It is not right, but it is not genocide.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another aspect of this is that it is really easy for us to say now that the actions of the settlers were wrong. This is unfair because at the time, they had no idea the impact any of their actions would have on the future. It almost was a necessary evil. At the time, North America was growing, and expansion was the only concern. They were not concerned with the treatment of people of other races. I am not condoning their behavior, but I don\u2019t believe it is our place to critique how they treated the Indians when it was such a different time period.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wolfe\u2019s article titled Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native raised some very interesting points that I can\u2019t say I have ever thought of before. Basically he was saying that in North America, the Native Americans experienced genocide by colonist settlers. \u00a0He defined this point by saying that \u201cEven where native sovereignty was recognized, … <\/p>\n