First published 1971
Dee Brown examines the systematic destruction of Native American tribes during the final decades of the 19th century. His account focuses on the experiences of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and other western nations as federal forces seized their territories through military campaigns and fraudulent agreements. Brown traces key events from Little Bighorn through the massacre at Wounded Knee, showing how government policies dismantled indigenous societies. He presents the Native American perspective on these conflicts, drawing from tribal accounts and testimonies that had been largely ignored in previous histories. The book reveals how broken treaties and cavalry attacks destroyed not only lives but entire ways of life. Brown's work exposes the gap between American ideals of freedom and the reality faced by indigenous peoples. This account offers readers an unflinching look at how westward expansion came at the cost of Native American survival and sovereignty.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, native-american, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: The West, West (U.S.), West United States
Period: 1860-1890, 1866-1895
487 pages · Paperback · Henry Holt and Company
Content warnings: colonialism, violence