New Books in Native American Studies Heather Cox Richardson, “Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre” (Basic Books, 2010)
66 snips
Jun 3, 2010 
Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and author known for her insights on American political history, discusses her book on the Wounded Knee massacre. She uncovers the systemic injustices faced by Native Americans, emphasizing the calculated political motives behind their oppression. Richardson highlights misconceptions about Native American labor post-Civil War and the misrepresentation in media narratives. She also delves into the tumultuous political climate leading to Wounded Knee, and the tragic consequences of these historical conflicts on Indigenous identity and existence.
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Two Great American Tragedies
- Slavery and the campaign against Native Americans are America's two great tragedies, but only slavery has been widely acknowledged as wrong.
- American policy aimed for freedom and equality for slaves but sought removal and assimilation or death for Native Americans.
Post-Civil War Vision and Indians
- Post-Civil War Northern vision aimed to economically develop America but saw Plains Indians as obstacles to free labor expansion.
- Whites believed Indians had to either assimilate by farming or be removed, disregarding Native economic systems.
Treaty of Fort Laramie Broken
- The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty promised Sioux land from settlers and railroads but was quickly violated when gold was discovered.
- Settlers and railroads flooded Sioux land, forcing the government to renounce its promises and declare Indians hostile.
