The most enduring feature of U.S. history is the presence of Native Americans, yet most histories focus on Europeans and their descendants. The long practice of ignoring indigenous history is changing because a new generation of scholars insists that any full American history address the struggle, survival and resurgence of American Indian nations. Indigenous history is essential to understanding the evolution of modern America. Ned Blackhawk interweaves five centuries of Native and non-Native histories, from Spanish colonial exploration to the rise of Native American self-determination in the late twentieth century. In this synthesis he shows that European colonization in the 1600s was never a predetermined success; that Native nations helped shape England's crisis of empire; the first shots of the American Revolution were prompted by Indian affairs in the interior; California indians targeted by federally funded militias were among the first casualties of the Civil War; the Union victory forever recalibrated Native communities across the West; twentieth century reservation activists refashioned American law and policy. Blackhawk's retelling of of U.S. history acknowledges the enduring power, agency and survival of indigenous peoples, thus giving us a truer account of the United States. Blackhawk's book was the winner of the National Book Award for non-fiction this past year.
The Rediscovery of North America; Native Peoples and the Making of U.S. History
