Card 52 - Civil Rights Leaders and Groups

Indian Occupation of Alcatraz Island

In 1969 hundreds of Indians from many nations united and occupied the famed Alcatraz prison island in San Francisco harbor. The protest focused on the call for self-determination, autonomy, and respect for Indian culture. The occupation lasted 19 months. The Alcatraz occupation is recognized as the springboard for the rise of Indian activism that began in 1969 and continued into the late 1970s. As the occupation gained international attention, Indian people came from Canada, from South America, and from Indian reservations across the United States. The goal of the occupation was to awaken the american public to the plight of the first Americans, to the suffering caused by the federal government's broken treaties and broken promises, and to the need for Indian self-determination. As a result of the occupation, the official U.S. government policy of termination of Indian tribes was ended, replaced by a policy of Indian self-determination.