Indigenous Empowerment and Resilience (Blanket Exercise) Timeline of Events and Policies by

Before European Contact (Time Immemorial): Relationships with the Land

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 07:46:35 UTC

15th Century - The Doctrine of Discovery

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:00:32 UTC

Christopher Columbus’s First Arrival

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:03:03 UTC

Early Cooperation and Broken Treaties

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:03:55 UTC

Northwest Ordinance Act of 1787, Article III

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:05:42 UTC

Colonist Violence and Enslavement

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:06:18 UTC

As more English arrived, total war erupted due to the treatment of Indigenous people and land [13]. Colonists also removed Natives through enslavement, such as during Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676.

Introduction of Diseases

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:08:48 UTC

Europeans brought diseases like smallpox, measles, and tuberculosis, causing millions of Indigenous peoples to die, with some communities losing nine out of ten people. In some instances, blankets infected with smallpox were given or traded to Indigenous people.

Creation of the US-Canada Border

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:09:30 UTC

The border between the United States and British Canada divided First Nations communities, cutting them off from each other.

Indian Trade and Intercourse Act

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:10:16 UTC

After the 13 English colonies gained independence, this act stated that land cessions could only occur by treaty between the federal government and tribes.

Indigenous Peoples Declared "Enemies of the State

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:10:34 UTC

Indian Removal Act (1829)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:11:40 UTC

State Laws Extending Rule over Indians

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:12:06 UTC

Cherokee Nation's Resistance

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:12:24 UTC

The Trail of Tears (1837)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:12:40 UTC

Mass Removals and Land Opening

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:13:04 UTC

Indian Appropriations Act (1851)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:13:21 UTC

Spanish Colonization and Enslavement in the Southwest (1540 onwards)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:13:46 UTC

Pueblo Uprising (1680)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:14:04 UTC

Impacts of California Gold Rush (1848)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:14:28 UTC

Impact of the Old Spanish Trail (1830s onwards)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:14:48 UTC

Great Plains Wars and Buffalo Genocide

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:15:27 UTC

Battle of Little Bighorn (June 1876)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:15:45 UTC

Wounded Knee Massacre (December 1890)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:16:04 UTC

Ongoing Broken Treaties and Doctrine of Discovery Rulings

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:16:26 UTC

Assimilation Policies & Resistance (Late 19th - Mid 20th Century)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:17:00 UTC

Indigenous Population Decline (1900)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:17:22 UTC

The Dawes Act (1887) & Land Loss

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:18:12 UTC

Indian Boarding Schools (Late 19th - Mid 20th Century)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:19:38 UTC

Federal Termination Policy (1950s)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:20:39 UTC

Urban Relocation Policies

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:21:41 UTC

Self-Determination & Rights Movement (Mid 20th Century - Present)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:21:49 UTC

Charles Curtis becomes First Native American US Senator (1907)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:22:02 UTC

Indian Citizenship Act (1924)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:22:18 UTC

Indian Civil Rights Act (1968)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:22:37 UTC

Indian Education Act (1972)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:23:04 UTC

Indian Child Welfare Act (1978)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:23:22 UTC

Native American Languages Act (1990)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:23:44 UTC

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:24:02 UTC

The Apology to Native Peoples of the United States (2009)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:24:20 UTC

Deb Haaland becomes first Native American Secretary of the Interior

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:25:00 UTC

Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative (June 2021)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:25:15 UTC

Presidential Apology for US Indian Boarding School Program (October 2024)

nieaPL — 2025-07-09 08:25:34 UTC