This year, many Americans might be feeling less patriotic than usual on the Fourth of July. During a time usually marked by fireworks, parades, and barbecues, people across the country are grappling with increasing attacks on civil liberties, science, and essential government programs. A couple months ago, I received an email newsletter in my inbox with the subject line, “The end of America as we know it?”
But what is the America we know? In school, we are taught that America was founded with lofty visions of equality and has steadily worked to accomplish them, even if it hasn’t always been perfect. But when you look at the broad arc of American history, it’s the moments of progress that feel like an anomaly, not individual leaders. In other words, the Trump administration’s assaults are not a deviation, but essentially a more extreme version of the same old American story. Just ask Indigenous people.
The dismay and anxiety that many white Americans are feeling this summer is nothing new for us. I am Aquinnah Wampanoag and grew up spending summers on our homelands, which happen to be on Martha’s Vineyard, a popular (and pricey) vacation destination. Over the years, we have steadily lost our land to racist systems and tourism. As the island grows increasingly hard to afford, we have to fight harder to protect our community, land, and culture. Every summer, the extra influx of visitors on the Fourth of July is a reminder of how much we have lost.
The Fourth of July is not just a symbolic insult for many Indigenous people. Our history with the day goes back to the very beginning. The Declaration of Independence itself cites King George III’s support of “merciless Indian Savages” as one of the many grievances the colonies had against him. In other words, Indigenous existence was always seen as a threat to the United States.
And the country has never really deviated from that path. Look back through American history at some of the leaders known for pushing the United States toward equality and you’ll find Native rights are often ignored.
In 1862, 38 Dakota men were hanged in Minnesota on President Abraham Lincoln’s orders, in what remains the largest mass execution in United States history. Earlier that year, Lincoln had signed the Homestead Act, which opened up millions of acres of Indigenous land to settlers. After the Civil War, Lincoln didn’t order the execution of any Confederate generals or leaders.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal Supreme Court justice hero, was notorious in Indian Country for the rulings she authored against tribal sovereignty and Indigenous interests, although this trend shifted in her decisions towards the end of her career. Some believe her mixed record on Indigenous rights stemmed from the fact that she, like a number of other justices, simply wasn’t familiar with the complexities of Indian law.
