In the chapter “The Present and Probable Future Condition of the Indian Tribes that Inhabit the Territory Possessed by the Union” Tocqueville discusses the plight of the American Indians and makes a prediction about their eventual fate. He writes that they have two choices, to civilize or be destroyed, and goes on to articulate how the Native American spirit has been shaped by their cultural experience such that deciding to civilize (according to the European definition of the term) would be a painful decision for them to make.
When reading what Tocqueville was writing about in 1835, I began to wonder what he would think about the plight of Native Americans today. The American political dialogue does not often go near the subject of Native Americans unless they become relevant to a more pertinent issue, such as oil pipelines and climate change. I, however, believe that the condition of Native Americans is deserved of much more attention from both sides of the aisle.
It is well known that Native Americans have higher rates of poverty, alcoholism, and suicide than the rest of the population. The government-run schools provided for them on their reservations are very low quality. Native Americans also have the lowest labor participation rate out of any ethnic group in the country.
Everyone can see the problem, but the solution is where politics enters the fray. I believe that one of the first steps towards ameliorating the heartbreaking condition of the Native Americans would be to allow them to own their land. Because they do not, it is very hard for Native Americans to get business and personal loans because they do not have their land to offer as collateral. Furthermore, many reservations are in natural resource-rich areas of the country; giving the people property rights could bring income and groundbreaking social change into these struggling communities.
I think Tocqueville’s worst prediction, that the Native Americans would cease to exist as a group, has thankfully not been carried out. Through the public policy choices we make as a country, we can prevent it from ever happening.