Why You Can't Teach United States History without American Indians ed. by Susan Sleeper-Smith et al. (review)

UPON RECEIVING AN AWARD at the 2011 Western History Association for his contributions to the field of Native American studies, Dartmouth professor Colin Calloway explained that Native Americans in the history of the United States are something of a "black hole": objects of tremendous gravity that, while often unseen, can be sensed by the forces they exert on all around them, bending and shaping time and space. While astrophysicists and historians may poke holes in the metaphor, the concept is intriguing. Native peoples, especially Native voices, often do not appear in documentary records and archives, but their influence over the course of American history is undeniable. This makes it all the more frustrating when broad national American narratives are repeated generation after generation with wholly insufficient attention paid to the Native actors and forces that were often at the center of historical events. This volume is a tool to rectify this wrong. The editors and authors have done a great service in detailing the various ways for which we truly cannot teach or understand American history without American Indians.

The anthology contains nineteen essays divided into three parts: "U.S. History to 1877," "U.S. History since 1877," and "Reconceptualizing the Narrative." The first two conveniently coincide with the date ranges that U.S. survey courses often teach. Their sixteen essays touch on various popular subjects in U.S. history—ones that are already being taught—but uncover the centrality of Native peoples to those stories. The resulting contributions could be read in two different ways. First, there are U.S. narratives devoid of American Indians in which they need to be reinserted. Second, many of these essays examine U.S. histories in which Natives have been present but imbue them with sorely lacking agency and complexity. In either case, the essays are compelling. The third part contains three essays that suggest how to reinterpret the very frameworks in which U.S. history is taught: settler colonialism, federalism and sovereignty, and globalism. These could be useful for teachers of any aspect of U.S. history. The contributors to the volume represent an impressive roster of eminent senior scholars and new young voices. Essays are brief and direct. The prose is readable and not overly laden with jargon. In short, each could be quickly referenced and used to directly implement new content and approaches to curriculum. This practical approach should be applauded. Each essay is complemented by suggested readings, works cited, and an impressive selection of illustrations and maps.

Many NAIS readers who teach U.S. history likely already highlight American Indians in their courses. I caution them not to dismiss this volume, thinking it is simply preaching to the choir. There are insights in this volume that can benefit even the most seasoned instructors. Moreover, this volume can be a useful tool in helping colleagues less convinced of the book's premise that they need to reconsider how they teach U.S. history. Thanks to the volume's format, portions of it could be slowly integrated, piece by piece, into the curriculum with ease. Instructors who have positions that privilege them with the oversight of a history curriculum should make fast use of these essays. The volume's usefulness extends beyond traditional U.S. history survey courses. Upper-division focused courses on any facet of U.S. history could benefit. Perhaps the greatest potential impact of this volume would be for professors in education programs, administrators and educators in secondary schools, and members of state and local school boards, who could use these essays to improve curriculum. The editors and authors have provided a powerful tool to make easy work of this endeavor, so let's get to it!