Indian Agent (United States)

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As Indian Agent ( Engl. : Indian Agent ) of the been Administration of Indian Affairs responsible (Engl .: Indian affairs) and trade with the indigenous population, local representatives of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (English for. Bureau of Indian Affairs - BIA) designated. Originally subordinate to the War Department, the BIA has been a division of the United States Department of the Interior since 1849 . The agents deployed by the BIA served in particular as mouthpieces for the government, observers of Indian activities and liaison between Indians and white colonists. They were mainly used in the border region of the expanding United States and, according to the government, were supposed to live among the Indians in order to promote their acculturation . However, the agents could also be appointed for special tasks, for example as "Removal Agents" (English for resettlement agents ) who directed the resettlement of the Indians as part of the path of tears .

The commissioning took place on the basis of the "Act to Regulate Trade and Intercourse with the Indian Tribes, and to Preserve Peace on the Frontiers." (English for law to regulate trade and relations with the Indians and to achieve peace in the borderlands preserve ) of March 3, 1799 and the expansion of March 30, 1802. Often this task was performed by officers of the US military and in many cases it was also the stepping stone to a political career. At the beginning of the 20th century, the office of Indian agent was abolished.

Well-known Indian agents

See also

literature

  • Donald I. Stoetzel: Encyclopedia of the French & Indian War in North America, 1754-1763. Heritage Books, Westminster MD 2008, ISBN 978-0-7884-4517-0 , p. 227.

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