Describes circumstances that set the stage for the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island by American Indians, including federal relocation of thousands of reservation Indians to urban areas, national civil rights and antiwar movements, and growth of urban Indian and Indian college student organizations. Briefly traces events of the occupation. Lists…

Attempts to place in historical perspective the 19-month American Indian occupation of Alcatraz Island, which began in November 1969. Discusses societywide and specifically Native American events leading to occupation; occupation itself and responses by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Nixon Administration; and other Indian activist actions during…