Title: American Citizenship for Natives Was Withheld, Then Rights Were Long-Ignored | Teen Vogue
Headings: American Citizenship for Natives Was Withheld, Then Rights Were Long-Ignored
American Citizenship for Natives Was Withheld, Then Rights Were Long-Ignored
Content: But the act wasn’t enough to ensure that citizenship rights were granted to Natives—beyond voting, major injustice still persisted on other fronts. So, to combat, Native people successfully pushed for legislation that specifically ensured they would be afforded the protection of all constitutional rights promised to every other U.S. citizen, like freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, to petition for redress of grievances, and to a trial by jury, of which they were still being denied. The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 (ICRA) passed, helping to right these wrongs. The battle for equality as citizens has continued ever since. Native people who are members of federally recognized tribes have dual citizenship, in their respective tribes and as U.S. citizens. They continue to face persecution for practicing their religion. Those who exercise their right to free speech and freedom of assembly by protesting the construction of environmentally harmful fossil fuel projects on their lands without their consent are now being targeted by state anti-protest laws in places like South Dakota and Texas. Native voter suppression continues, even after poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation were outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as the full power of the act to protect voters has been dampened. The Shelby v. Holder decision rendered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013 effectively removed a provision of the law that required states with histories of racial bias in voting to get permission before passing new voting-related laws, and mere weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, the Supreme Court allowed a new voter ID law to stand in North Dakota that prevented hundreds of Native residents from voting, swaying the election in favor of Republicans. While we continue to face battles to see our rights fully realized, there have been successes too.