The tallest mountain in North America is located in Alaska and it holds a deep, cultural meaning to some of the tribes living there. Around one-hundred years ago the mountain was renamed to honor president McKinley which deeply upset the people who find deep roots in it. As of yesterday, President Obama has followed through with his promise that he made at the beginning of his campaign. His promise was to help build a stronger relationship between the federal government and the Native tribes of Alaska and he has definitely come through by renaming Mt. McKinley to its original name, Denali, meaning “the high or great one”. President Obama made the wonderful statement “There’s no denying that for some Americans, the deck’s been stacked against them, sometimes for generations, and that’s been true of many Native Americans, but if we’re working together, we can make things better.”
I love the fact that and find it a little funny that our president is no longer under the threat of an imposing election so he is just going all out, fighting for all of his controversial causes without having to worry about voters. His acknowledgement of those who are minorities or get swept underneath the rug genuinely advocating for them shows that even though you may not agree with all of his decisions, he definitely has a heart for the hurting. I am glad that the Alaskan people have regained the true recognition for their mountain that they deserve.
I fully agree with you on the fact of the matter that since it's the end of his term (Obama) he's using that to face many controversial topics that won't effect him at future time. I'm glad he's made the decision to rename the mountain back to it's original, it could help bring the country closer.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was a smart choice to make an act that would bring the country together. Especially since Alaska is so disconnected from the rest of the country.
ReplyDeleteI love that they changed the name back to the original. It's such a beautiful name and it heals the wound left by renaming the mountain, even just a little bit.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see politicians actually going through with campaign promises, we know they don't have the best track record. And Native Americans(and most other minorites) need better representation
ReplyDeleteCameron Eisenberg 6th period
Maddie Hanratty/Comment #3/8th period
ReplyDeleteI think this is a start at unifying our country to a further extent. The Native American culture is buried under the cruelty of government, from the Spanish encomiendas to the Trail of Tears. To me, this is a sign of respect for the Native Americans. Quite contrary to the view the settlers of the New World had of the "Indians", which can be summed up into one word: "savages". That was the Puritan and Pilgrim view of these peoples, and finally a tribute of respect is paid to their culture.
I think it's great that President Obama is restoring the original name. It has a lot of meaning and history behind it and this is a small but significant step towards recognizing and preserving Native American culture. (Bella Di Fazio/comment #1/8th period)
ReplyDeleteErin McElhone (3rd Period)
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful , it makes it possible to connect Alaska to the rest of the states since it is so far away. The fact that the President is doing something as bold as renaming a mountain for the Native American's warms my heart.
Erin McElhone (3rd Period)
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful , it makes it possible to connect Alaska to the rest of the states since it is so far away. The fact that the President is doing something as bold as renaming a mountain for the Native American's warms my heart.
it's cool that he went back to the roots of it all and frankly i don't really know if he just did that for one last horah before hi term is up or if it was because the decision wont affect him in the future, but i think it was a nice gesture anyhow.
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