'An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States' by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers a perspective on American history told from the viewpoint of Indigenous peoples. The author delves into the genocidal program of the US settler colonial regime that has been largely omitted from traditional history books. Through the narrative, Dunbar-Ortiz reveals how Native Americans actively resisted the expansion of the US empire over centuries. discusses the atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples, the historical context of colonization, and the impact of settler colonialism on the Indigenous population.

The writing style of the book is described as informative, brutally honest, and necessary for understanding the reality of white Americans' actions towards Native Americans over the last four hundred years. While not a comprehensive history, the book presents a detailed account of Anglo-Indigenous relations throughout American history, shedding light on the sobering truth of the country's treatment of Indigenous peoples. Dunbar-Ortiz's work challenges traditional narratives of American history and encourages readers to view the nation's past from a different perspective, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging and learning from the Indigenous perspective.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is dense and academic, resembling a textbook rather than traditional narrative history, which affects its flow and accessibility.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative focuses on the oppressive history faced by Indigenous Peoples due to settler colonialism, countering established historical myths and detailing their resistance efforts.

Setting:

The setting encompasses a wide historical range focusing on both geographic and sociopolitical aspects of the Americas from a historical perspective.

Pacing:

Pacing is inconsistent, marked by repetition and abrupt shifts in focus, detracting from a smooth reading experience.

Humanoids existed on Earth for around four million years as hunters and gatherers living in small communal groups that through their movements found and populated every continent. Some two hundred tho...

Genres:

Topics:

colonization

settler colonialism

indigenous rights

history of the americas

Notes:

The book argues that colonialism led to genocidal policies against Indigenous Peoples in the United States.

Dunbar-Ortiz claims that the Americas were not a 'virgin wilderness' in 1492 but were densely populated and engaged in trade.

Scalping was introduced as a commercial practice by colonists, who were paid per scalp as a bounty.

George Washington ordered the destruction of Iroquois settlements to instill terror among Indigenous populations.

The book highlights the contradiction of democracy and equality existing alongside the dominance of one race over another.

Dunbar-Ortiz connects historical Indigenous injustices to contemporary issues such as US foreign interventions and military actions.

The Doctrine of Discovery, originating from a Papal Bull, allowed for the colonization of non-Christian lands and was used to justify European claims in the Americas.

The author describes the long history of resistance against colonial expansion by Indigenous groups, which included the Alcatraz occupation in the 1960s.

Dunbar-Ortiz critiques the way history is traditionally taught, emphasizing the need to recognize the perspective of Indigenous Peoples in American history.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include discussions of genocide, colonial violence, racism, and historical trauma.

From The Publisher:

Now part of the HBO docuseries "Exterminate All the Brutes," written and directed by Raoul Peck

2015 Recipient of the American Book Award

The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples

Today in the United States, there are more than five hundred federally recognized Indigenous nations comprising nearly three million people, descendants of the fifteen million Native people who once inhabited this land. The centuries-long genocidal program of the US settler-colonial regimen has largely been omitted from history. Now, for the first time, acclaimed historian and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers a history of the United States told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and reveals how Native Americans, for centuries, actively resisted expansion of the US empire.

With growing support for movements such as the campaign to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples' Day and the Dakota Access Pipeline protest led by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States is an essential resource providing historical threads that are crucial for understanding the present. In An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States, Dunbar-Ortiz adroitly challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them. And as Dunbar-Ortiz reveals, this policy was praised in popular culture, through writers like James Fenimore Cooper and Walt Whitman, and in the highest offices of government and the military. Shockingly, as the genocidal policy reached its zenith under President Andrew Jackson, its ruthlessness was best articulated by US Army general Thomas S. Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote of the Seminoles: "The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them."

Spanning more than four hundred years, this classic bottom-up peoples' history radically reframes US history and explodes the silences that have haunted our national narrative.

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States is a 2015 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature.

Ratings (4)

Loved It (3)
Liked It (1)

Reader Stats (33):

Read It (6)
Want To Read (23)
Not Interested (4)

1 comment(s)

kimskim

9 months

The author holds no punches. If you're looking to learn a different, more detailed history of the United States this deserves a read/listen.

What can you read after
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States?

See the list (100 books)

About the Author:

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother. She has been active in the international Indigenous movement for more than four decades and is known for her lifelong commitment to national and international…

Meet New Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products and services on amazon.com and its subsidiaries.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz