Summary:
The government found it necessary to break the original treaty they had established with the Ute's. The treaty, created in 1849 at Abiquin, had originally given each Ute a large section of land in western Colorado. However, the leadership of the U.S. Government ran into a problem when so many white settlers began occupying land they felt the Utes had no right to claim.
What is perhaps the most overlooked issue in history, one that could certainly bring many solutions to our troubled world if people really studied the causes of it? Without a doubt it is the issue of migration. Migration is a reflection of humanity: it is a mirror from which humanity must see itself; it shows what strengths and weaknesses exist within our civilization, and what should be addressed to not only further life, but preserve its quality and longevity. From the examples of peoples' migrating a deeper understanding and respect emerge toward history, as people's experiences show the injustices they faced; and from those injustices eventually men and women start to measure out some sort of judgment. Although social changes don't necessarily emerge from the catastrophic accounts of people cast out of their countries as they seek freedom in new lands, when their personal stories are embraced, humanity begins to chip away at its own callous nature, that part of itself that often fails to see all people as equals. The study of migration then shows the frustration of people, their economic struggles, their political differences, the need for certain groups to dominate and make certain groups submit, straining from the extreme use of power.
One such group that shows the tragedy of forced migration were the Ute Indians; they faced the effects of persecution by the American government. Reflecting upon their migration, of being forced out of Colorado, into the once-barren, desolate lands of Utah, brings the thought to bear that their forced migration is an example people can examine for all of time. Their struggle shows the true nature of migration at its worst.
Like many of the treaties established between the U.S.
Government and the Indians, the treaty the Utes negotiated was no different. It too was eventually broken (Smith, 48).
The government also found it necessary to break the original treaty they had established with the Ute's. The treaty, created in 1849 at Abiquin, (Smith, 48) had originally given each Ute a large section of land in western Colorado. However, the leadership of the U.S. Government ran into a problem when so many white settlers began occupying land they felt the Utes had no right to claim. Popular opinion was on the side of white settlers. Indians were vastly outnumbered, and due to Ouray's trip to Washington, D.C., he knew that the power of the government was something his people could never overcome. Thus the treaty was re-negotiated (Smith, 49).
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