When
European settlers arrived in the Americas, historians estimate there
were over 10 million Native Americans living there. By 1900, their
estimated population was under 300,000. Native Americans were subjected
to many different forms of violence, all with the intention of
destroying the community. In the late 1800s, blankets from smallpox
patients were distributed to Native Americans in order to spread
disease. There were several wars, and violence was encouraged; for
example, European settlers were paid for each Penobscot person they
killed. In the 19th century, 4,000 Cherokee people died on the Trail of
Tears, a forced march from the southern U.S. to Oklahoma. In the 20th
century, civil rights violations were common, and discrimination
continues to this day.
Recommended Resources
Books
Alex Alvarez - Native America and the question of genocide
Ward Churchill - A little matter of genocide: holocaust and denial in the Americas, 1492 to the present
Alexander Laban Hinton - Hidden genocides: power, knowledge, memory
Leslie Alan Horvitz - Encyclopedia of war crimes and genocide
Ben Kiernan - Blood and soil: a world history of genocide and extermination from Sparta to Darfur
Alexander Mikaberidze - Atrocities, massacres, and war crimes: an encyclopedia
David E. Stannard - American Holocaust: the conquest of the New World
Andrew John Woolford - Colonial genocide in indigenous North America
Search Terms
Genocide -- North America -- History
Genocide -- United States -- History
Indians of North America -- Colonization
Indians of North America -- Social conditions
Indians of North America -- Violence against
Indians, Treatment of -- North America -- History
Online Resources
Jeffrey Ostler - Genocide and American Indian History
Brenden Rensink - Genocide of Native Americans: Historical Facts and Historiographic Debates [PDF]
United to End Genocide - Atrocities Against Native Americans
Alex Alvarez - Native America and the question of genocide
Ward Churchill - A little matter of genocide: holocaust and denial in the Americas, 1492 to the present
Alexander Laban Hinton - Hidden genocides: power, knowledge, memory
Leslie Alan Horvitz - Encyclopedia of war crimes and genocide
Ben Kiernan - Blood and soil: a world history of genocide and extermination from Sparta to Darfur
Alexander Mikaberidze - Atrocities, massacres, and war crimes: an encyclopedia
David E. Stannard - American Holocaust: the conquest of the New World
Andrew John Woolford - Colonial genocide in indigenous North America
Search Terms
Genocide -- North America -- History
Genocide -- United States -- History
Indians of North America -- Colonization
Indians of North America -- Social conditions
Indians of North America -- Violence against
Indians, Treatment of -- North America -- History
Online Resources
Jeffrey Ostler - Genocide and American Indian History
Brenden Rensink - Genocide of Native Americans: Historical Facts and Historiographic Debates [PDF]
United to End Genocide - Atrocities Against Native Americans
