The "Battle" for Alcatraz: How the Infamous Prison Became a Frontier of Native American Civil Rights

This project will explore the 19-month Alcatraz Occupation in 1969 by Native American students and activists going by the acronym IAT (or Indians of All Tribes). The group first sought to repatriate the island in 1963 when Alcatraz Penitentiary ceased activity, claiming that under the Treaty of Fort Laramie "All retired, abandoned, or out of use federal land was to be returned to the indigenous peoples who once occupied it.". After an unsuccessful protest in 1964, a group of 89 Natives and their supporters were able to secure the island from November 20, 1969 to June 11, 1971 until widespread public support ultimately faltered and they were forcibly removed by the federal government.

Shown below is the Neatline for the '"Battle" for Alcatraz' page, where you can take a look at the locations of the various events of the Occupation, this can be navigated with the provided timeline at the bottom of the map or the index of key events on the right side of the page.