Why You Can't Teach United States History Without American Indians - (Paperback)

About the Book

These papers emerged from the symposium, "Why you can't teach U.S. history without American Indians," held at the Newberry Library on May 3 and 4, 2013.

Book Synopsis

A resource for all who teach and study history, this book illuminates the unmistakable centrality of American Indian history to the full sweep of American history. The nineteen essays gathered in this collaboratively produced volume, written by leading scholars in the field of Native American history, reflect the newest directions of the field and are organized to follow the chronological arc of the standard American history survey. Contributors reassess major events, themes, groups of historical actors, and approaches -- social, cultural, military, and political -- consistently demonstrating how Native American people, and questions of Native American sovereignty, have animated all the ways we consider the nation's past. The uniqueness of Indigenous history, as interwoven more fully in the American story, will challenge students to think in new ways about larger themes in U.S. history, such as settlement and colonization, economic and political power, citizenship and movements for equality, and the fundamental question of what it means to be an American.

Contributors are Chris Andersen, Juliana Barr, David R. M. Beck, Jacob Betz, Paul T. Conrad, Mikal Brotnov Eckstrom, Margaret D. Jacobs, Adam Jortner, Rosalyn R. LaPier, John J. Laukaitis, K. Tsianina Lomawaima, Robert J. Miller, Mindy J. Morgan, Andrew Needham, Jean M. O'Brien, Jeffrey Ostler, Sarah M. S. Pearsall, James D. Rice, Phillip H. Round, Susan Sleeper-Smith, and Scott Manning Stevens.

Review Quotes

"[An] exceptional set of chapters. . . . [Brings] together impressive scholars from a broad range of fields. . . . [And] recognize[s] the need to go beyond the usual retelling of U.S. history."--Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"[This] collection succeeds admirably, providing a variety of tools for incorporating Native American history in ways that promise to challenge and excite our students. It deserves to be read widely, and it will reward those teachers who take its message to heart."--Journal of Southern History

"A mandatory purchase for all libraries." --CHOICE

"A tremendously powerful book." --Minnesota History

"An excellent book...forces instructors to reexamine their pedagogy and think twice about what they teach and what students may be unconsciously taking away from the standard narratives." --The Chronicles of Oklahoma

"Contains a wealth of information that reorients the U.S. history narrative. Anyone who teaches U.S. history should read this easily accessible, thought-provoking book." --New Mexico Historical Review

"Exciting and practical suggestions for reconsidering how we approach making Indians central to our narratives of US history." --H-Net

"Provide[s] a usable 'toolkit' for non-specialists to incorporate contemporary scholarship on American Indian history into the undergraduate curriculum." --Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

"There are insights in this volume that can benefit even the most seasoned instructors."--NAIS

"Well-written and generously illustrated, this rich resource merits a place on the bookshelves of everyone teaching American history."--Journal of American History

About the Author

Susan Sleeper-Smith is professor of history at Michigan State University.
Juliana Barr is associate professor of history at the University of Florida.
Jean M. O'Brien is professor of history at the University of Minnesota.
Nancy Shoemaker is professor of history at the University of Connecticut.
Scott Manning Stevens is associate professor of Native American studies at Syracuse University.