Documents of American Indian Diplomacy (2 Volume Set) - (Legal History of North America) by Vine Deloria & Raymond J Demallie (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Reproduced in this two-volume set are hundreds of treaties and agreements made by Indian nations--with, among others, the Continental Congress; England, Spain, and other foreign countries; the Republic of Texas and the Confederate States; railroad companies seeking rights-of-way across Indian land; and other Indian nations. Many were made with the United States but either remained unratified by Congress or were rejected by the Indians themselves after the Senate amended them. Many others are "agreements" made after U.S. treaty making with Indian tribes officially ended in 1871.

These documents--augmented by chapter introductions that concisely set each type of treaty in its historical and political context--these documents effectively trace the evolution of American Indian diplomacy in the United States. This volume is the first major accessible compilation since Charles Kappler's 1904 Indian Affairs, Laws and Treaties. As a group, these documents highlight American Indians' roles as active agents in international diplomatic affairs.

Review Quotes

"Documents of American Indian Diplomacy contributes to our understanding of the evolution of federal Indian policy and law and the history of Indian-white relations. . . . The work also provides readers with a chance to reflect on the promises the United States made, often in perpetuity, for the millions of acres of land ceded by Indian nations and to judge whether the U.S. has abided by them."--Jay Buckley, in the Great Plains Quarterly

"This two-volume set reveals the complexity and range of American Indian diplomatic concerns. The documents provide a wealth of new information about Indian relations with the United States and its European predecessors that should prove invaluable to both legal and historical researchers. . . . It makes the record of Native American diplomacy more complete than it has ever been."--American Journal of Legal History