The Indian Rights Association (IRA) was a social activist group dedicated to the well being and acculturation of American Indians. Founded by non-Indians in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1882, the group was highly influential in American Indian policy through the 1930s and remained involved as an organization until 1994. The organization's initial stated objective was to "bring about the complete civilization of the Indians and their admission to citizenship." The organization was founded in 1883 by

Herbert Welsh Herbert Welsh (1851 - 1941) was a United States political reformer and worker for the welfare of the indigenous peoples of North America. Biography Herbert Welsh was born in Philadelphia, the youngest of 8 children of John Welsh, a prosperous mer ...

and Henry Spackman Pancoast after they travelled with an Episcopal mission to the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

in 1882 and spent four weeks with the Sioux agencies. In 1884 they opened an additional office in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, to act as a legislative lobby and liaison with the

Board of Indian Commissioners The Board of Indian Commissioners was a committee that advised the federal government of the United States on Native American policy and inspected supplies delivered to Indian agencies to ensure the fulfillment of government treaty obligations. Hi ...

and the Board of Indian Affairs. The IRA also opened an early office in Boston, Massachusetts. The management of early Indian Rights Association's programs fell almost entirely to five men, all of whom had lengthy careers with the IRA:

Matthew Sniffen Matthew K. Sniffen was an American activist. He worked for the Indian Rights Association and wrote about issues affecting Native Americans. Biography In 1908, Sniffen testified before the United States Congress about the Crow Reservation having ...

, and Lawrence E. Lindley, active in Philadelphia; and Charles C. Painter and Samuel M. Brosius, agents and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. In addition to efforts on policy development and congressional lobbying, the Indian Rights Association monitored the actions of

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

agents and observed Native American living conditions and health care needs through correspondence and trips to reservations and settlements. They also sponsored speaking tours for activists and Indian representatives as a means of informing the public about native issues. The Unitarian minister and journalist

Jonathan Baxter Harrison Jonathan Baxter Harrison (April 5, 1835 – June 17, 1907), was a Unitarian minister and journalist who was involved in many of the social causes of his day: abolitionism, Indian rights, forest preservation, and the cultural improvement of ...

was an especially influential observer, publishing several books and articles detailing his findings in the late 1880s.

Publications

*Harrison, Jonathan Baxter. ''The latest studies on Indian reservations'', Philadelphia: The Indian Rights Association 1887. *Harrison, Jonathan Baxter. ''The colleges and the Indians, and the Indian Rights Association'', Philadelphia: The Indian Rights Association 1888. *Pancoast, Henry Spackman. ''The Indian Before the Law'', Philadelphia: The Indian Rights Association 1884. *Welsh, Herbert.
The Action of the Interior Department in Forcing the Standing Rock Indians to Lease Their Lands to Cattle Syndicates
', Philadelphia: The Indian Rights Association 1902.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*Th
Indian Rights Association Records
including correspondence, organizational records, photographs and other printed materials, are available for research use at the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

. 1882 establishments in Pennsylvania 1994 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Native American rights organizations Organizations disestablished in 1994 Organizations established in 1882

Publications

References

Further reading

External links