American Indian Movement

The American Indian Movement (AIM) is a Native American civil rights and sovereignty organization founded in Minneapolis in 1968. It became known for direct action against discrimination, treaty violations, and federal policies affecting Native communities.

Occupation of Alcatraz: A Native-led occupation of Alcatraz Island that lasted from 1969 to 1971 and called for Indigenous rights and self-determination. A landmark occupation preceded AIM’s founding and helped build momentum for Indigenous activism.
Indian patrols: Community-led patrols that monitor police conduct and help protect residents from abuse. AIM’s Minneapolis patrols confronted police harassment and helped establish the organization.
Dennis Banks: An Anishinaabe activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement. Banks helped build AIM and led several of its major actions.
Minneapolis: A city in Minnesota that became the birthplace and early organizing center of the American Indian Movement. AIM began there in response to police harassment and hardship among urban Native residents.
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act: A 1975 U.S. law allowing tribes greater control over federally funded programs and services. It reflected a policy shift toward tribal control that AIM and other activists had demanded.
Trail of Broken Treaties: A 1972 protest caravan to Washington, D.C., organized by Native activists to demand enforcement of treaty rights and federal policy changes. AIM members helped organize this campaign and occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters.
Treaty rights: Rights and obligations established by treaties between Indigenous nations and governments. AIM used treaty obligations to challenge federal actions and defend tribal sovereignty.
Clyde Bellecourt: A White Earth Ojibwe activist and co-founder of the American Indian Movement. Bellecourt helped establish AIM’s Minneapolis base and its community programs.
Red Power movement: A movement for Indigenous rights, cultural pride, and political self-determination in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. AIM became one of Red Power’s most prominent organizations.
American Indian Religious Freedom Act: A 1978 U.S. law stating federal policy to protect Native Americans’ access to sacred sites and use of religious objects. AIM’s era of activism helped foreground demands for protection of Native spiritual practices.

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