“The achievement of independence for new nations was beneficial to the indigenous peoples who lived in them.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The question requires that candidates consider the merits or otherwise of the statement that the indigenous peoples of the Americas benefitted from living in newly-independent nations. There may be different approaches to this question as candidates may choose to discuss one people in depth or offer a broader discussion of two or more peoples. Either approach is valid. Candidates may argue that independence was fully, partly or not at all beneficial for indigenous peoples in the Americas. For the latter two, they may argue that indigenous groups were expelled from their lands or denied land rights or that the massacres of indigenous groups occurred in many parts of the Americas. They may also claim that indigenous peoples were denied the right to vote, lacked educational opportunities and were forbidden to speak their languages. In contrast, it may be suggested that some indigenous peoples voluntarily abandoned their communities looking for better economic opportunities in cities.