We’ve all been told our founders created a democracy. Rebecca talks with Maggie Blackhawk (Ojibwe) about why that's only half the story. Because our founders also wanted an empire. And so, they built both: a democracy that gave its citizens a voice and a vote; and an empire that controlled the lives and lands of people who had no say. That playbook never went away. Today, when our government wants to annex Greenland, deny citizenship to people born here, or put migrants in detention camps, it uses laws first passed to colonize Indigenous nations to do so.

Resources:

- July 31, join First America, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Red Media, and the Lindy Waters III Foundation for an evening celebrating Indigenous futurism, storytelling, and the release of "From the Heart of Our Nations"

- Get "From the Heart of Our Nations," a collection of short stories from First America's Indigenous youth writing workshop, here

- Dig further into Maggie Blackhawk's scholarship here

We&rsquo;ve all been told our founders created a democracy. Rebecca talks with Maggie Blackhawk (Ojibwe) about why that's only half the story. Because our founders also wanted an empire. And so, they built both: a democracy that gave its citizens a voice and a vote; and an empire that controlled the lives and lands of people who had no say. That playbook never went away. Today, when our government wants to annex Greenland, deny citizenship to people born here, or put migrants in detention camps, it uses laws first passed to colonize Indigenous nations to do so. Resources:
-&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tulsaartistfellowship.org/calendar/from-the-heart-of-our-nations-book-release">July 31,</a> join First America, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Red Media, and the Lindy Waters III Foundation for an evening celebrating Indigenous futurism, storytelling, and the release of "From the Heart of Our Nations"
- Get "From the Heart of Our Nations," a collection of short stories from First America's Indigenous youth writing workshop, <a href="https://magiccitybooks.com/item/K0Zhw2y_vbPFomRaxQLM8A">here</a>
- Dig further into Maggie Blackhawk's scholarship <a href="https://its.law.nyu.edu/facultyprofiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=profile.publications&amp;personid=56076">here</a>

Native people have been written out of the American story, but without us you don’t know what happened. This summer the United States will celebrate the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When you read the Declaration, you realize it is a list of complaints. The last entry, the climax in our founders’ reasons for rebellion against the Crown, is this: “He has excited… the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.”

We have been told the Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But what the founders were most angry about in our country’s most famous document was Indian affairs. How did generations of Americans miss this?

The first armed rebellion against the Crown was an attack on British forts that traded with tribes. When colonists threw tea into the Boston harbor, they dressed up like members of the Mohawk tribe—not for disguise, but because pretending to be Indian symbolized freedom and rebellion. The founding fathers’ first government failed because Indigenous nations were too powerful; war and diplomacy with Native people is why we have a central federal government.

Hosted and reported by Rebecca Nagle and  featuring leading Native historians,  First America unveils  how the founders’ treatment of Indigenous nations—and their resistance—shaped US democracy. The show  does not simply add another blemish to the image of the founding fathers, it reveals the real story of why the colonists rebelled, what kind of government they created, and, crucially, how our current political moment was 250 years in the making.

Native people have been written out of the American story, but without us you don&rsquo;t know what happened. This summer the United States will celebrate the 250-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. When you read the Declaration, you realize it is a list of complaints. The last entry, the climax in our founders&rsquo; reasons for rebellion against the Crown, is this: &ldquo;He has excited&hellip; the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.&rdquo;
We have been told the Revolution was fought over taxation and representation. But what the founders were most angry about in our country&rsquo;s most famous document was Indian affairs. How did generations of Americans miss this?
The first armed rebellion against the Crown was an attack on British forts that traded with tribes. When colonists threw tea into the Boston harbor, they dressed up like members of the Mohawk tribe&mdash;not for disguise, but because pretending to be Indian symbolized freedom and rebellion. The founding fathers&rsquo; first government failed because Indigenous nations were too powerful; war and diplomacy with Native people is why we have a central federal government.
Hosted and reported by Rebecca Nagle and&nbsp; featuring leading Native historians,&nbsp; First America unveils&nbsp; how the founders&rsquo; treatment of Indigenous nations&mdash;and their resistance&mdash;shaped US democracy. The show&nbsp; does not simply add another blemish to the image of the founding fathers, it reveals the real story of why the colonists rebelled, what kind of government they created, and, crucially, how our current political moment was 250 years in the making.

First America

The Origin of American Authoritarianism | Episode 6

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/81144a55-a31b-40d0-b8d1-b494000f4a92/transcript