American Indian Movement

Quick Facts: Who was American Indian Movement?

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American Indian Movement

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Grassroots movement addressing systemic issues, poverty, and discrimination against American Indians.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an American Indian grassroots movement founded in Minneapolis in July 1968. Initially centered in urban areas to address systemic issues of poverty, discrimination, and police brutality against American Indians, AIM soon widened its scope to many Indigenous Tribal issues that American Indian groups have faced due to settler colonialism in the Americas. These issues have included treaty rights, high rates of unemployment, the lack of American Indian subjects in education, and the preservation of Indigenous cultures. AIM was organized by Native American men who had been serving time together in prison. Some of the experiences that Native men in AIM shared were boarding school education, military service, and the disorienting urban experience.

Career & Major Achievements

They had been alienated from their traditional backgrounds as a result of the United States' Public Law 959 Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which supported thousands of American Indians who wanted to move from reservations to cities, in an attempt to enable them to have more economic opportunities for work. In addition, Public Law 280, one of the first major laws contributing to U.S. Indian termination policy, proposed to terminate the federal government's relations with several tribes which were determined to be far along the path of assimilation. These policies were enacted by the United States Congress under its plenary power. As a result, nearly 70% of American Indians left their communal homelands on reservations and relocated to urban centers, many in hopes of finding economic sustainability. While many Urban Indians struggled with displacement and such radically different settings, some also began to organize in pan-Indian groups in urban centers.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

They were described as transnationals. The American Indian Movement formed in such urbanized contexts at a time of increasing Indian activism. From November 1969 to June 1971, AIM participated in the occupation of the abandoned federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island organized by seven Indian movements, including the Indians of All Tribes and Richard Oakes, a Mohawk activist. In October 1972, AIM and other Indian groups gathered members from across the United States for a protest in Washington, D.C., known as the Trail of Broken Treaties. Public documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal advanced coordination occurred between federal Bureau of Indian Affairs staff and the authors of a twenty-point proposal.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1956: 1956 Milestone — They had been alienated from their traditional backgrounds as a result of the United States' Public Law 959 Indian Relocation Act of 1956, which supported thousands of American Indians who wanted to move from reservations to cities, in an attempt to enable them to have more economic opportunities for work.
2. 1968: 1968 Milestone — The American Indian Movement (AIM) is an American Indian grassroots movement founded in Minneapolis in July 1968.
3. 1969: 1969 Milestone — From November 1969 to June 1971, AIM participated in the occupation of the abandoned federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island organized by seven Indian movements, including the Indians of All Tribes and Richard Oakes, a Mohawk activist.
4. 1972: 1972 Milestone — In October 1972, AIM and other Indian groups gathered members from across the United States for a protest in Washington, D.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: American Indian Movement

True or False: “The American Indian Movement was founded primarily in response to the economic opportunities provided by uranium mining on Navajo lands.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While environmental issues were critical, AIM's founding in 1968 was a direct reaction to systemic poverty, discrimination, and police brutality.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri — Historical peer (Died in 1971) (1971): Pioneering Egyptian jurist, celebrated for authoring the revised Civil Code of 1948.
• Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — Historical peer (Born in 1971) (1971): Iraqi militant leader and founder of the Islamic State (IS)
• A-Mei — Historical peer (Born in 1972) (1972): Iconic Taiwanese singer, producer, and cultural voice of Mandopop.
• Abraham Joshua Heschel — Historical peer (Died in 1972) (1972): Leading 20th-century American rabbi, theologian, and philosopher.

Frequently Asked Questions about American Indian Movement