How do Americans feel about the way Native Americans were treated?

[CFH]

Slightly different story there... struggling to see the relevance to this topic (or the harsh criticism you're reacting to for that matter)

To be fair, some connections (particularly in early American history) can be drawn between the two people and the way in which the British viewed them (I've heard credible arguments that assert the Irish were worse of than the Natives during the 16th/17th century), but by and the situations are pretty dissimilar.

Indeed we a had something of a war but I don't recall it being policy to infect them with smallpox. Hitler would have been proud. And yes I do believe it a genocide.

Whether or not Natives were ever intentionally infected with small-pox is a matter of scholarly debate. According to a professor of mine, who is an expert in early American history, there is only one primary source which describes such a event and it is far from an infallible one. The subject has come up a few times in classes I have had.

Furthermore, initially the Natives were seen as very child-like and uncivilized where as the Irish were seen almost as traitors and as such were treated much more harshly during that period.