The Whiskey Rebellion, George Washington And Seneca Indian Genocide...
"Catholic Teaching On Migration. A faithful Catholic approach to immigration begins not with politics but with people — with the conviction that every migrant bears the face of Christ" Pope Leo XIV
One of my Facebook posts:
Throughout the Americas, I believe that all native Americans have more right to be here than those of us descended from Europe.
I do not say that European descendants should leave.
There is such a thing as “squatter's rights.”
However, I am saying that anyone with an evident admixture of Native American blood has more right to reside anywhere in the Americas than white people do.
Read the history of the conquest: the initial land grab, Manifest Destiny, and the Indian Wars when American politicians called openly for the “extermination” of natives, proclaiming that “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.”
Let's not wrap ourselves in a flag that has all too often been used as a shroud to cover up our persistent murder and mayhem.
And let's not forget that we are now living in a fascist dictatorship elected to office by "good citizens" who have all their papers "in order."
AI's reply to my inquiry, "Howard Zinn on the dispossession of American Indians" (Zinn was a WWII bombardier who, after the war, became a notable American historian. See "A People's History Of The United States." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History_of_the_United_States A dozen years ago, my son Daniel-Caribou, read this book while hiking the Appalachian Trail. When Danny left the trail to re-supply, he would tear out the chapters he had read and send them to a friend. It is always useful to keep in mind words often ascribed to Churchill: "History is written by the winners." When American history is considered from the vantage of the dispossessed, I believe the essential difference between "woke" and "asleep" ideologies is that "woke history" threatens to "awaken the sleeping," a circumstance that would represent an existential threat to most people's view of history - and even religion. See Bartolome de Las Casas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartolom%C3%A9_de_las_Casas)
In A People's History of the United States, Howard Zinn reframes the dispossession of American Indians not as an inevitable aspect of progress, but as a deliberate and brutal campaign of genocide and systemic oppression. He tells the story from the perspective of Native peoples and other marginalized groups, explicitly challenging the traditional narrative that romanticizes figures like Christopher Columbus and justifies westward expansion through the concept of Manifest Destiny.
The myth of progress
Zinn argues that the "progress" of the United States was made possible by the "marginalization and terrorization of the Native American population". He asserts that the glorification of American history conceals the extreme violence and injustice that accompanied colonization and economic expansion.
Columbus and the Arawaks
In the opening chapter, "Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress," Zinn sets the tone by focusing on the explorer's devastating effect on the indigenous Arawak people of the Caribbean.
- Greed and brutality: Zinn writes that Columbus was driven by "insatiable greed and ambition" for gold and riches, which led him to enslave, torture, and massacre the natives.
- The contrast of cultures: He highlights the stark contrast between the Arawaks, who were "naive and...free with their possessions," and the Europeans, who were motivated by materialism and violence.
- Historical concealment: Zinn critiques how traditional history often overlooks these atrocities while celebrating Columbus's navigation skills. He emphasizes that the victims' stories are the ones that must be heard.
The colonial era and westward expansion
Zinn shows that the violence initiated by Columbus was not an aberration but a pattern of conquest and dispossession that continued for centuries.
- Pattern of brutality: He documents the systematic displacement, massacres, and broken treaties that defined colonial expansion, highlighting events like the destruction of the Iroquois Confederacy.
- The Trail of Tears: Zinn addresses the forced removal of indigenous peoples, such as the Trail of Tears, to illustrate the hypocrisy of American policies. He references historical evidence showing that government officials intentionally misled the public and concealed facts about the suffering caused by these removals.
- Rationalizing violence: Zinn shows how settlers and government officials used distorted justifications, often rooted in racist assumptions, to portray Native people as obstacles to "progress".
Indian resistance
Throughout his work, Zinn emphasizes the persistent resistance of Native Americans to their oppressors. He spotlights leaders like Sitting Bull and Tecumseh to show that indigenous peoples fought back against westward expansion, in both peaceful and military ways.
Legacy of dispossession
Zinn argues that the violent dispossession of Native Americans was fundamental to the formation of the United States. He contends that this process was crucial for generating the wealth and land needed for American economic development. By bringing this history to light, Zinn aimed to challenge readers to rethink national myths and acknowledge the foundational injustices upon which the country was built.
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