Eli Parker
In light of Native American Awareness Month, I would like to introduce you to a man named Eli Parker. He was born on the Seneca reservation in Tonawanda, NY in 1828. He was raised in mission schools and was fully bi-lingual.
He studied Law but was not allowed to take the state Bar exam because, as an Indian, he was not considered a US citizen. Native Americans were not considered citizens until 1924. Instead he went to college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. He worked on numerous projects in New York and Illinois.
Civil War Years
When the Civil War broke out he tried to enlist but was once again told he could not join the war because he was not a citizen. He asked for help from an old friend that he met when the friend was a clerk in a mercantile store. That friend was Ulysses S. Grant. Grant asked for special permission for Parker to join and be on his staff. Parker was made a Lt. Col in the Union forces. He battled along with Grant through many of the major battles of the civil war.
When the Confederate forces surrendered, it was Parker who penned the surrender agreement. Grant asked him to do so since his knowledge of the English language was superior to most in the army. Parker eventually obtained the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. At the surrender General Lee mistook Parker for a Black man. Once he learned he was an American Indian, Lee apologized and told him, he was glad there was at least one true American in the group. Parker responded that "we are all Americans here, sir."
Erie Canal
Parker was instrumental in the design and completion of the Erie Canal in NY state. He was also the first and only Native American to ever hold the post of Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
Chief of the Seneca Nation
In 1852 Parker was made chief of the Seneca, the nation known as the Donehogawa, Keeper of the Western Door. He lived the rest of his life working to better the life of his people and used his knowledge of law to help ensure the native people were heard in court when fighting for rights and to keep their lands.
Eli Parker. A true American. Even though he was denied time and again in pursuing his American dream, he persevered and became part of our national culture.
Source material for this article can be found at: http:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ely_S._Parker
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