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On May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. Despite our general awareness of the horrific Trail of Tears the Act produced, this dark, exclusionary moment in American history certainly needs to be more present in our collective memories. Thread: #twitterstorians
Yet at the same time, solely remembering the Act/Trail reinforces narratives of Native Americans not only as victims, but as vanishing in the face of these exclusionary histories. Whereas the era likewise feat vital & inspiring acts of #NativeAmerican #Resistance & persistence.
There are for ex the Cherokee Memorials, some of the 19C’s most eloquent & potent acts of collective, written resistance. They build upon the Constitution & American ideals, as well as Cherokee histories & sovereignty, to express this communal perspective. cherokee.org/About-The-Nati…
Here in Massachusetts, the Mashpee community offered its own inspiring & successful act of resistance to white supremacist aggression and exclusion. The 1633 Mashpee Revolt succeeded in establishing Mashpee as an ongoing, protected community in the state. massmoments.org/moment-details…
The definitive history of that revolt was written by one of its leading figures, William Apess, the traveling Methodist minister, writer and orator, and activist whose life itself embodies an inclusive America. teachushistory.org/indian-removal…
Apess’s writings consistently reflect an inclusive vision of Native American and American community, history, and identity. That’s especially true of “Eulogy on King Philip,” which argues for the Wampanoag chief as a revolutionary American hero.
voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/apess-eulogy-s…
voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/apess-eulogy-s…
Even as the horrors of Removal and the Trail of Tears unfolded, Native American communities exemplified these inclusive ideals, as illustrated by the Choctaw tribe’s 1847 donation to victims of the Irish famine. theconversation.com/shared-pride-t…
Better remembering histories like the Memorials, Mashpee, Apess, and the Choctaw donation doesn’t mean eliding the exclusionary horrors of the Removal Act and its era and aftermaths. Quite the contrary, we can only remember the best if we likewise remember the worst.
But the best is there too, illustrations of an inclusive America that Jackson & his historical ilk (and his 21C parallels) have tried again and again to destroy, with no success. The Memorials, Mashpee and Apess, and the Choctaw embody that originating, enduring inclusive legacy.
As our current white supremacist exclusionary administration seeks once more to undermine and destroy the Mashpee community, it’s more important than ever that we remember, celebrate, and learn from these histories. thehill.com/blogs/congress…
I write more about Indian Removal’s exclusions and the era’s inclusive resistances in a chapter of my forthcoming *We the People: The 500-Year Battle over Who is American*. Fin (for now!). rowman.com/ISBN/978153812…
PS. And I’ve learned about these histories from scholars & writers like @VinceSchilling, @tantaquidgeon, @ssenier, @dawnlandvoices, & many more!
PPS. Can't end a thread like that without mentioning @karl_jacoby's Shadows at Dawn, one of the very best public scholarly books on the exclusionary and the inclusive sides to American history.
books.google.com/books/about/Sh…
books.google.com/books/about/Sh…
And finally finally: it's far from the most significant effect of better remembering all these histories, but holy mackerel does Andrew Jackson need to be taken off the $20 bill. I love Tubman on there instead, but tbh virtually any historical figure would be better than Jackson.
Couple more thoughts, as I realized focusing on histories of resistance elides the depth of Jackson's Indian Removal bigotry. It was one of his 1st policies & a central goal of his administration, & it was based on an overtly exclusionary narrative of Native Americans:
From his 1833 message to Congress: "That those tribes cannot exist surrounded by our settlements & in continual contact w/our citizens is certain. They have neither the intelligence, the industry, the moral habits, nor the desire of improvement which are essential...
to any favorable change in their condition. Established in the midst of another and a superior race, and without appreciating the causes of their inferiority or seeking to control them, they must necessarily yield to the force of circumstances and ere long disappear." (Dec 1833)
As I argue in the book chapter, Indian Removal reflected an exclusionary, white supremacist vision of America just as much as a violent oppression of Native Americans. Jackson embodied both those threads, from his "Indian Killer" origin points through his horrific presidency.
& thus the Native American resistances to Removal such as those I've highlighted in this thread exemplified not just specific alternatives to the policy, but a broader alternative, inclusive vision of American identity, history, & community. Vital we remember & celebrate that!
