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Opinion
Yellow Bird: All men equal, except for 'savages'


"In what may be one of the most read and studied of all documents, the Declaration of Independence declares that "all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" -- profound and sage words that became the foundation for this nation.

Down a few paragraphs in the same document, however, the writers call the indigenous people -- American Indians -- 'merciless Indian savages.'

It occurred to me as I read and reread the declaration several times that we have changed roles with those early colonists. The colonists became King George III and the Indians took on the role of the oppressed colonists. Unfortunately, Indians didn't have the Atlantic Ocean to protect them from tyranny"

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Fourth inspires mixed feelings (The Grand Forks Herald 7/2)

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