Trail of Broken Treaties

protest event [1972]

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July 20, 2026

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The Trail of Broken Treaties was a 1972 protest organized by the American Indian Movement (AIM) and other Native American groups. Caravans traveled from the West Coast to Washington, D.C., to present a "Twenty-Points Position Paper" to President Richard Nixon, outlining demands for improved relations between Native tribes and the federal government.

When scheduled meetings were canceled, demonstrators occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs building for a week. While the protest resulted in negative publicity due to vandalism, it was a significant event for AIM, uniting members from approximately 200 tribes for a common cause.12

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Anna Mae Aquash
…in what was called the Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country protest event that ended in Washington, D.C., where a number of protestors occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in order to draw attention to Indian rights. The protest, which was initiated by AIM, ultimately failed in its mission.…
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…in what was called the Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country protest event that ended in Washington, D.C., where a number of protestors occupied the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in order to draw attention to Indian rights. The protest, which was initiated by AIM, ultimately failed in its mission.…
Read More

Dennis Banks
Founding the American Indian Movement
…Banks and Means organized the Trail of Broken Treaties, in which hundreds of Native activists traveled in a cross-country car caravan to Washington, D.C. The leaders of the protest planned to meet with government officials to demand the recognition of Native rights. When they arrived in Washington, D.C., however, the…
Read More
…Banks and Means organized the Trail of Broken Treaties, in which hundreds of Native activists traveled in a cross-country car caravan to Washington, D.C. The leaders of the protest planned to meet with government officials to demand the recognition of Native rights. When they arrived in Washington, D.C., however, the…
Read More

Leonard Peltier
Early life and involvement with AIM
…rights actions, including the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country event that ended with the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices in Washington, D.C. In the mid-1970s Peltier and other AIM members went to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Their goal was to…
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…rights actions, including the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties, a cross-country event that ended with the occupation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices in Washington, D.C. In the mid-1970s Peltier and other AIM members went to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Their goal was to…
Read More