Which tactic did the American Indian Movement use?

• A. Siege at Wounded Knee, South Dakota in February 1973
• B. Nonviolent petitions to the federal government
• C. Joined the Trail of Broken Treaties march
• D. Built a cultural festival to raise awareness

Answer: (C)

AIM’s approach included organizing large, coordinated protests to pressure the government and bring national attention to Native rights. The Trail of Broken Treaties march is a clear example of this tactic: a cross-country protest in 1972 where AIM and allied groups traveled to Washington, D.C., to present a 20-point demand and push federal policy changes. This kind of national march shows strategic, public action aimed at influencing policymakers, often combining demonstrations with political demands and, at times, opening direct confrontations like later occupations.

The siege at Wounded Knee, while a famous act, is a specific incident of occupation rather than the broader tactic of mobilizing a nationwide protest. Nonviolent petitions and cultural festivals are valid forms of activism but don’t capture the same scale and deliberate political pressure demonstrated by the Trail of Broken Treaties march.