The Apology

U.S. Senate bill S.J. RES. 37 is before the Indian Affairs Committee at this
time, it will be up to them to approve the bill and send it to the full Senate
for a vote.
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. J. RES. 37

To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived
policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an
apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States .

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 6, 2004

Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. CAMPBELL, and Mr. INOUYE) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian
Affairs

JOINT RESOLUTION
To acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived
policies by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an
apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States .

Whereas the ancestors of today's Native Peoples inhabited the land of the
present-day United States since time immemorial and for thousands of years before
the arrival of peoples of European descent;

Whereas the Native Peoples have for millennia honored, protected, and
stewarded this land we cherish;

Whereas the Native Peoples are spiritual peoples with a deep and abiding
belief in the Creator, and for millennia their peoples have maintained a powerful
spiritual connection to this land, as is evidenced by their customs and
legends;

Whereas the arrival of Europeans in North America opened a new chapter in the
histories of the Native Peoples;

Whereas, while establishment of permanent European settlements in North
America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes, peaceful and mutually
beneficial interactions also took place;

Whereas the foundational English settlements in Jamestown, Virginia, and
Plymouth, Massachusetts, owed their survival in large measure to the compassion
and aid of the Native Peoples in their vicinities;

Whereas in the infancy of the United States , the founders of the Republic
expressed their desire for a just relationship with the Indian tribes, as
evidenced by the Northwest Ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787, which begins with
the phrase, `The utmost good faith shall always be observed toward the
Indians';

Whereas Indian tribes provided great assistance to the fledgling Republic as
it strengthened and grew, including invaluable help to Meriwether Lewis and
William Clark on their epic journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific
Coast;

Whereas Native Peoples and non-Native settlers engaged in numerous armed
conflicts;

Whereas the United States Government violated many of the treaties ratified
by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian tribes;

Whereas this Nation should address the broken treaties and many of the more
ill-conceived Federal policies that followed, such as extermination,
termination, forced removal and relocation, the outlawing of traditional religions, and
the destruction of sacred places;

Whereas the United States forced Indian tribes and their citizens to move
away from their traditional homelands and onto federally established and
controlled reservations, in accordance with such Acts as the Indian Removal Act of
1830;

Whereas many Native Peoples suffered and perished--

(1) during the execution of the official United States Government policy of
forced removal, including the infamous Trail of Tears and Long Walk;

(2) during bloody armed confrontations and massacres, such as the Sand Creek
Massacre in 1864 and the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890; and

(3) on numerous Indian reservations;

Whereas the United States Government condemned the traditions, beliefs, and
customs of the Native Peoples and endeavored to assimilate them by such
policies as the redistribution of land under the General Allotment Act of 1887 and
the forcible removal of Native children from their families to faraway boarding
schools where their Native practices and languages were degraded and
forbidden;

Whereas officials of the United States Government and private United States
citizens harmed Native Peoples by the unlawful acquisition of recognized tribal
land, the theft of resources from such territories, and the mismanagement of
tribal trust funds;

Whereas the policies of the United States Government toward Indian tribes and
the breaking of covenants with Indian tribes have contributed to the severe
social ills and economic troubles in many Native communities today;

Whereas, despite continuing maltreatment of Native Peoples by the United
States , the Native Peoples have remained committed to the protection of this
great land, as evidenced by the fact that, on a per capita basis, more Native
people have served in the United States Armed Forces and placed themselves in
harm's way in defense of the United States in every major military conflict than
any other ethnic group;

Whereas Indian tribes have actively influenced the public life of the United
States by continued cooperation with Congress and the Department of the
Interior, through the involvement of Native individuals in official United States
Government positions, and by leadership of their own sovereign Indian tribes;

Whereas Indian tribes are resilient and determined to preserve, develop, and
transmit to future generations their unique cultural identities;

Whereas the National Museum of the American Indian was established within the
Smithsonian Institution as a living memorial to the Native Peoples and their
traditions; and

Whereas Native Peoples are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights, and that among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness:
Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND APOLOGY.

The United States , acting through Congress--

(1) recognizes the special legal and political relationship the Indian tribes
have with the United States and the solemn covenant with the land we share;

(2) commends and honors the Native Peoples for the thousands of years that
they have stewarded and protected this land;

(3) acknowledges years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and
the breaking of covenants by the United States Government regarding Indian
tribes;

(4) apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native
Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted
on Native Peoples by citizens of the United States ;

(5) expresses its regret for the ramifications of former offenses and its
commitment to build on the positive relationships of the past and present to move
toward a brighter future where all the people of this land live reconciled as
brothers and sisters, and harmoniously steward and protect this land
together;

(6) urges the President to acknowledge the offenses of the United States
against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring
healing to this land by providing a proper foundation for reconciliation between the
United States and Indian tribes; and

(7) commends the State governments that have begun reconciliation efforts
with recognized Indian tribes located in their boundaries and encourages all
State governments similarly to work toward reconciling relationships with Indian
tribes within their boundaries.

SEC. 2. DISCLAIMER.
Nothing in this Joint Resolution authorizes any claim against the United
States or serves as a settlement of any claim against the United States .

US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
http://indian.senate.gov/