The Loss of History

Discussion on why Native Americans have been overlooked in American History.

From the story of the first Thanksgiving to the exploits of American soldiers in the War in Iraq, historians have generally overlooked the contribution of the Native American. While one can not forget that one of the Marines that lifted the American flag at Iwo Jima was of Native birth, nor that the War Department used Cherokee-speaking Native Americans as code talkers during the Second World War, the record is still somewhat one sided. Why is this? Is it politics? Is it racism? Or is it simply that we no longer view our Native American brothers as seperate...we see them as Americans.

As Ely Parker, the Union Colonel and Seneca Sachem, said, we are all Americans. While the truth behind this varying interpretation may be difficult to determine, it is no mere speculation to assume that as times change so do the Historians. In the past, the treatment of the Native American with regards to American History reflected the racial views of the time. During the anti-bellum period, the Native was viewed by many as uncivillized and dangerous--while not a universal interpretation it did permeate through the academic circles of the period. Following the war, there began a more balance, yet still divisive, effort to include the Native American in the great story of the rise of the American Nation. With the coming of the more liberalized movements of the 1960s and early 70s, Native Americans were viewed as more than mere players in the American drama. In this modern age, the efforts to include their diverse culture and rich heritage, while at the same time assimilitaing them into the entire story, has resulted in the Native American being engrained as a part of the concept of America itself. The truth is, there would be no America without the Native American.