“The fate of the Indian is irrevocablya way that cannot be changed irrevocably which is defined as a way that cannot be changed sealed. He must soon be crushed by the encroachingmoving forward gradually beyond usual limits; intruding encroaching which is defined as moving forward gradually beyond usual limits; intruding tide of emigration. The hand of destiny has marked him, and soon he must fade away. . . . In the providencefate, destiny; divine guidance providence which is defined as fate, destiny; divine guidance of God they must soon disappear before the onward march of our countrymen. Humanity may forbid, but the interest of the white man demands their extinction.”
Source Analysis Questions
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Why is it significant that Senator Weller says these words in a debate in the United States Congress? What does this tell us about some U.S. government officials’ attitudes towards California Native Americans?
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Why might leaders claim that the “fate of the Indian” is inevitable?
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Governor Weller pits the interest of the white man against the fate of the Indian, combining the diverse Native populations of California into one racial group. Why might he frame his comments in terms of race? Think about what else was happening in the United States in the 1850s and general attitudes toward nonwhite racial groups during that time.
The Daily Union was a daily Washington, D.C. newspaper in circulation from May 1845 to April 1857.
