An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States

Paul Cuffe, the former kidnapped and enslaved at an early age, and the
latter, born to an Indigenous mother and African father, created an Afro-
Indigenous modernity in prerevolutionary America, in an attempt to assert
the humanity of people of African descent. I argue that we should rethink
how we view the early Indigenous Africans, and acknowledge that they
maintained at least some of their Indigenous heritages. In chapter 2, I look
at the ideological foundations of US democracy through some of the
foundational documents such as the Federalist Papers and the Constitution,
and through some of the important thinkers, like Thomas Jefferson and
Alexis de Tocqueville. I also critically explore how these documents were
fundamentally anti-Black and anti-Indigenous. Chapter 3 explores the long
nineteenth century, and how Black and Indigenous peoples used a variety of
methods to resist dispossession and enslavement. It also shows how some
participated in the larger discourse of US democracy, by challenging it and
imagining how it could be better.
Chapter 4 analyzes the development of Black and Indigenous
internationalism during the Progressive Era, demonstrating how they forged
an idea of themselves beyond white supremacy and settler colonialism.
Chapter 5, set during the post–World War II period, considers how Black
American civil rights leaders viewed Indigenous peoples and struggles, and
how, for the most part, they attempted to understand Indigenous struggle as
something to learn from. At other moments, however, some erased the
history and present reality of Indigenous peoples. Chapter 6 looks at the
relationship between Black Power and Red Power during the 1960s and
1970s. Exploring key moments of resistance, including the Black and Red
Power Movement, the Poor People’s Campaign, and Wounded Knee, this
chapter makes the case that Black Americans and Native Americans often
forged ideological alliances in the pursuit of freedom.
Chapter 7 looks at the relationship between Black and Native people in
the realm of popular culture and discourse, breaking down ideological
debates about, for instance, the relative toxicity of the N-word and R-word,
and thinking critically about debates regarding cultural appropriation. It
also explores where, in spite of popular belief, Black Americans often
demonstrate some consciousness on issues facing Indigenous people in
popular culture. Chapter 8 offers an analysis of Black Lives Matter, Native
Lives Matter, and policing. In the wake of the murders of Breonna Taylor
and George Floyd, in March and May of 2020, respectively, I argue that we