U.S. government policies of relocation, exploitation, and oppression were systematically exterminating Native Americans during the antebellum period. Which of the following was a common belief among white Americans in the period about the plight of Native Americans?
a) Native Americans would eventually assimilate to Anglo-European culture and flourish.
b) The "vanishing" of Native American populations was a divinely ordered "extinction," in which Native Americans were "destined" to give way to Anglo-European settlers on their land.
c) The U.S. government should honor its treaties with Native American tribes, respect Native American sovereignty, and deport white settlers who had encroached on Natives' lands.
d) Native Americans were happy and content with their relationship with the U.S. government