On the heels of my recent post about the Australian government’s official apology to its aborigine population, the Associated Press reports that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan) has proposed legislation that would officially apologize to the American Indian population for centuries of mistreatment from the federal government:

“For too much of our history, federal-tribal relations have been marked by broken treaties, mistreatment and dishonorable dealings,” said Brownback, a Republican. “We can acknowledge our past failures, express sincere regrets and establish a brighter future for all Americans.”

The resolution says the federal government forced Indians off tribal lands, stole tribal assets and is responsible for “official depredations, ill-conceived policies and the breaking of covenants” with tribes. The Senate added the resolution as an amendment to the health care bill by voice vote Thursday night. . . .

It is unusual for Congress to apologize for official government acts, though there have been exceptions, including a 1988 apology for interning Japanese-Americans in detention camps during World War II and a 1993 apology to native Hawaiians for the unlawful overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. . . .

The Indian apology resolution in the Senate bill is careful to state that it is not meant to authorize or support any claim against the U.S. government or serve as a settlement of any claim.

Even though the proposed apology does not include any reparations, to be honest, I am rather shocked that a conservative Republican is leading this effort and that Congress is well on its way to approving such a measure. As I and other scholars have written about before, the U.S. government is usually not too keen on admitting that it has systematically mistreated its minority groups throughout history.

Maybe things have changed, who knows. At any rate, this would be a monumental symbolic achievement and I give huge props to Senator Brownback for having the conviction to lead this effort.