American Indians and the Law - (Penguin Library of American Indian History) by N Bruce Duthu (Paperback)

About the Book

Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-258) and index.

Book Synopsis

A perfect introduction to a vital subject very few Americans understand-the constitutional status of American Indians

Few American s know that Indian tribes have a legal status unique among America's distinct racial and ethnic groups: they are sovereign governments who engage in relations with Congress. This peculiar arrangement has led to frequent legal and political disputes-indeed, the history of American Indians and American law has been one of clashing values and sometimes uneasy compromise. In this clear-sighted account, American Indian scholar N. Bruce Duthu explains the landmark cases in Indian law of the past two centuries. Exploring subjects as diverse as jurisdictional authority, control of environmental resources, and the regulations that allow the operation of gambling casinos, American Indians and the Law gives us an accessible entry point into a vital facet of Indian history.

About the Author

N. Bruce Duthu is an internationally acclaimed scholar of Native American law and policy. He earned a degree in religion and Native American studies from Dartmouth College and a JD degree from Loyola University School of Law. He returned to Dartmouth in 2008 as a professor of Native American studies, serving as the department chair from 2009 to 2015. In addition to authoring American Indians and the Law and Shadow Nations, he has also contributed to Felix S. Cohen's widely praised Handbook of Federal Indian Law and coedited "Sovereignty, Indigeneity, and the Law," a volume of South Atlantic Quarterly that won the 2011 Council of Editors of Learned Journals Award for Best Special Issue.

Colin Calloway is a British American historian. He is the John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and a professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College.