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JUNIOR THEME 2020

For my junior theme essay, I drew inspiration and influence primarially from my AP U.S. History class. In my essay, I explored the issue of Native American poverty in the United States. Interestingly enough, the rate of Native American poverty compared to the poverty rate in the United States is more than two times higher. I found that the reasons for this are past government policy (Andrew Jackson era), media portrayal of the people, and lack of assistance from the government. Due to many of these issues, Natives are unable to disassociate themselves from many stereotypes, and elevate their economic statuses.

In my essay, I referenced over 15 different sources, ranging from books and academic journals, to magazine/newspaper sources. From all of these sources I learned a lot, but the most surprising thing that I learned was the conditions on many Native American reservations. On the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, there is limited running water and electricity, and the nearest grocery store is 20-60 miles away. Additionally, there is a high rate of alcoholism, addiction, and suicide on this reservation, and on many ones like it. I think that the issue of Native American poverty is an extremely important one because many Natives live in squalor, and simple changes such as bringing more awareness to the issue could help many Native Americans escape these conditions of poverty. In the future, I want to use my knowledge of this topic to spread awareness for the issue, but also to participate in service related activities such as bringing necessary supplies to reservations, and helping those who have to face these conditions.

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