From First America: "Merciless Indian Savages"
Summary
Host Rebecca Nagel introduces "First America," arguing that Indigenous resistance and land hunger drove the U.S. Revolution, not just taxation. She interviews historian Ned Blackhawk on how anti-Indigenous sentiment unified colonists against Britain. The episode connects this history to present-day authoritarianism, illustrated by the ICE killing of Renee Good at Fort Snelling, a former Dakota concentration camp. Nagel asserts that understanding this erased history is crucial to comprehending current political violence.
Topics discussed
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Intro: First America podcast and the Declaration's hidden history
Visiting Fort Snelling and the Dakota memorial site
ICE shooting of Renee Good and protest at Fort Snelling
Connecting historical land theft to modern authoritarianism
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Re-examining the Declaration of Independence's grievances
Interview with Ned Blackhawk on Pontiac's War
The Proclamation of 1763 and colonial land hunger
The Black Boys militia and anti-Indigenous violence
Erasure of Native history and the roots of American democracy
Outro, credits, and acknowledgments
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