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We are all illegally occupying America from natives. So, let's be considerate to the natives of this land.

by snambi 7y ago

natalyarostova 7y ago
Legality is not a universal moral concept. It is nonsensical to say invading and conquering a group is illegal. What law are we breaking?
- eesmith 7y ago
  "A treaty is an official, express written agreement that states use to legally bind themselves." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty#Modern_form https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty#Modern_form The US has made treaties with many Native American nations. "American law is that international accords become part of the body of U.S. federal law." (same Wikipedia page). It has also broken some of these treaties. Eg, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fort_Laramie_(1868) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fort_Laramie_(1868) : > The government eventually broke the terms of the treaty following the Black Hills Gold Rush and an expedition into the area by George Armstrong Custer in 1874, and failed to prevent white settlers from moving onto tribal lands. ... The 1868 treaty would be modified three times by the US Congress between 1876 and 1889, each time taking more land originally granted, including unilaterally seizing the Black Hills in 1877. Thus, if treaties are supposed to be legally binding, and it is broken in order to take more land, then that land is illegally occupied, yes? Indeed, > On June 30, 1980, the US Supreme Court ruled that the government had illegally taken land in the Black Hills granted by the 1868 treaty, by unlawfully abrogating article two of the agreement during negotiations in 1876, while failing to achieve the signatures of two-thirds the adult male population required to do so. Thus, it's also possible to take more than a century for the courts to recognize that the land was taken illegally. I feel like "universal moral concept" is a different concept. Treaties are also not universal moral concepts either, are they? Yet you see people refer to treaties as being legally binding.

We are all illegally occupying America from natives. So, let's be considerate to the natives of this land.

by snambi 7y ago

We are all illegally occupying America from natives. So, let's be considerate to the natives of this land.

Legality is not a universal moral concept. It is nonsensical to say invading and conquering a group is illegal. What law are we breaking?

eesmith 7y ago
"A treaty is an official, express written agreement that states use to legally bind themselves." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty#Modern_form https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty#Modern_form The US has made treaties with many Native American nations. "American law is that international accords become part of the body of U.S. federal law." (same Wikipedia page). It has also broken some of these treaties. Eg, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fort_Laramie_(1868) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Fort_Laramie_(1868) : > The government eventually broke the terms of the treaty following the Black Hills Gold Rush and an expedition into the area by George Armstrong Custer in 1874, and failed to prevent white settlers from moving onto tribal lands. ... The 1868 treaty would be modified three times by the US Congress between 1876 and 1889, each time taking more land originally granted, including unilaterally seizing the Black Hills in 1877. Thus, if treaties are supposed to be legally binding, and it is broken in order to take more land, then that land is illegally occupied, yes? Indeed, > On June 30, 1980, the US Supreme Court ruled that the government had illegally taken land in the Black Hills granted by the 1868 treaty, by unlawfully abrogating article two of the agreement during negotiations in 1876, while failing to achieve the signatures of two-thirds the adult male population required to do so. Thus, it's also possible to take more than a century for the courts to recognize that the land was taken illegally. I feel like "universal moral concept" is a different concept. Treaties are also not universal moral concepts either, are they? Yet you see people refer to treaties as being legally binding.