Traces Indian-Black relationship in post-Civil War Indian Territory when racial antagonism, intensified by abolition of slavery among Seminoles, Creeks, Cherokees, Chickasaws, and Choctaws, and new pressures brought on by influx of land-hungry non-Indian settlers, combined to create hostility and violence between two peoples who had previously…

Outlines arguments and rhetorical devices used to trivialize the claim that the Iroquois system of government influenced development of American democracy. Notes controversy over inclusion of the "influence thesis" in New York textbooks. Suggests that the debate is so heated because it involves a new intellectual model in which former…

Drawing on the historical record and primary sources, this book portrays how Native American political confederacies of the colonial era operated and how their organization and underlying principles influenced the founding fathers of U.S. political institutions. A complementary theme of this book is the intense debate about Native American…

Presents evidence to support the opinion that the Iroquois and other Native American confederacies influenced the evolution of American government and the U.S. Constitution. Cites experiences and writings of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Madison, and John Adams. Responds to specific scholarly criticisms. Contains approximately 64 references.…

Asserts that historians should not think of American Indians and white colonists as having two distinct historical experiences but "mutual history of continuous interaction and influence." Contends that European and American colonials recognized the power and subtlety of the American Indian confederacies. (CFR)