Indian Policies in the Americas ― From Columbus to Collier and Beyond

The author surveys the policies pursued towards the indigenous peoples of the Americas by colonial and postcolonial powers and interests from, as the subtitle notes, Columbus to John Collier (the US Commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1933 to 1945) and beyond. His intention is less to present a narrative history than to interrogate the ideological, moral, and intellectual suppositions and debates that influenced policy-making and policy-implementation. Chapters discuss the colonial policies of Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, England, Russia, and Denmark, as well as postcolonial programs in Latin America, Canada, and (in the most detail) the United States. A concluding chapter discusses major thematic issues, including race, inequality, mental capacity, incorporation and subjugation, acculturation and assimilation, citizenship, protection, slavery, labor, land rights, religion, and sovereignty. Annotation c2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)