Check all that apply.

What were the three distinct but confused positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans?

retaliation

eradication

prowess

assimilation

relocation

The three distinct but confused positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans were:

Retaliation

Eradication

Assimilation

The three distinct but confused positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans were:

1. Retaliation: This policy involved the use of military force and aggression against Native American tribes to address conflicts and protect the expanding interests of the United States.

2. Assimilation: This policy aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by encouraging them to adopt the language, culture, and values of the dominant white society.

3. Relocation: This policy involved forcibly relocating Native American tribes from their ancestral lands to designated reservations, often far away from their original territories.

To determine the three distinct but confused positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans, we need to analyze each option and determine which ones are correct.

1. Retaliation: This refers to the policy of responding to attacks or resistance from Native American tribes with force. While retaliation was indeed a common approach in the early interactions between the federal government and Native Americans, it does not represent one of the three distinct positions.

2. Eradication: This refers to the policy of attempting to eliminate or exterminate Native American tribes. While there were instances of violence and mistreatment towards Native Americans, eradication as an official federal policy was not one of the three distinct positions.

3. Prowess: This term typically refers to exceptional or superior skill or ability. In the context of the federal policy toward Native Americans, it does not represent one of the three distinct positions.

4. Assimilation: This refers to the policy of encouraging Native Americans to adopt Western culture and customs. Assimilation was indeed one of the three distinct positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans. The government aimed to forcibly assimilate Native Americans into mainstream American society by promoting English language usage, Christianity, and education in boarding schools.

5. Relocation: This refers to the policy of forcibly relocating Native Americans from their ancestral lands to reservations. Relocation, also known as Indian Removal, was another one of the three distinct positions. It involved the forced displacement of Native American tribes from eastern territories to federal-designated areas in the west.

Based on the analysis, the three distinct but confused positions of the federal policy toward Native Americans were assimilation, relocation, and retaliation (instead of eradication or prowess).