1907 [January 29]
Charles Curtis becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
1918
Choctaw soldiers use their native language to send secret messages during World War I. What became known as the Choctaw Telephone Squad gave Allied forces an advantage over German forces.
1924 [June 2]
Congress passes the Indian Citizenship Act. This Act provides citizenship to all Native Americans born in the country’s territory. Citizenship was previously limited depending on what percentage of Native American ancestry a person was.
1929 [March 9]
Charles Curtis becomes the first Native American U.S. Vice President under President Herbert Hoover.
1939
World War II begins.
1924
Navajo Nation Indians develop a secret code to transmit messages for the U.S. military during World War II.
1968 [April 11]
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Indian Civil Rights Act into law. This Act grants Native Americans many civil rights they had been fighting for, including, but not limited to, the right to free speech, the right to hire an attorney in a criminal case, protection against self-incrimination, and equal law protection due process.
