10 Horrific Facts about the Native American Genocide

The term genocide is defined as the deliberate killing of large groups of people, particularly those in a specific nation or ethnic group. However, this term, which put simply is mass murder, did not come into widespread use until the 1940s. This is when Raphael Lemkin, a jurist at Yale University coined it in his Axis Rule in Occupied Europe. In addition to making the term mainstream, Lemkin also stated that genocide doesn’t mean the immediate destruction or eradication of a nation or people. Instead, it is a coordinated plan of various actions that has the end goal of destroying the foundations of life for certain groups.

While many people automatically think of the Holocaust when talking about genocide, there is no question that one of the first instances of this was with the Native Americans. Those who came to the “New World” had the intention of destroying – in part or in whole – this nation of people. During the time of this genocide, it wasn’t always obvious that this was the end goal of the “white man” who had landed on the shores of the Americas. This made it difficult for Native Americans to avoid being eliminated.

During this time, many horrendous crimes were committed against these people, from murder to torture, and even human trading and trafficking. Here you can discover and learn about 10 of the most horrific activities that occurred during the Native American genocide and some of the long-lasting effects these acts have had.