Anthony N. Damian

James McLaughlin worked as an Indian agent for most of his life. His most infamous act, however, was ordering the arrest of Sitting Bull for fear that his participation in the Ghost Dance movement would inspire Indian rebellion. “The newspaper reports...

In 1831, the Cherokee Nation brought a case against the state of Georgia to the Supreme Court. They argued that as a separate foreign nation, certain Georgia laws overstepped their jurisdiction and wrongfully stripped Cherokees of their rights. The...

Stephen F. Austin prided himself as being one of the US’s first emigrants to Texas. He also played his part in establishing Texas’ independence from Mexico. In this defense, he describes Texas’ reasons for rebelling against Mexican forces and affirms...

In this speech, President Andrew Jackson defends and praises the Indian Removal Act. With complete disregard for the cultural heritage associated with tribal lands, he exalts the government’s generous offer to pay for native land and relocation. He...

In 1890, the US government feared an imminent Indian uprising among the displaced Sioux people. General Nelson A. Miles reported from the field summarizing the issue at hand. The government was failing to fulfill the terms of the treaty they had...

Red Horse, a Lakota chief, recorded a detailed eyewitness account of the Battle of Little Bighorn. He recalls seeing a rising cloud of red dust just before US soldiers charged their camp. With the hot sun bearing down on them, the Sioux took no...

In 1832, President Jackson vetoed a bill that aimed to renew a charter for the US Bank. He issued this message to accompany the rejection in which he explained his controversial decision. He believed the bank held too much power, and that “It is easy...

In this account, Gottlieb Mittelberger reveals the plight of poor German families who migrated to America in the 18th century. It was normal at the time for poor Europeans to fund their journey to the New World by agreeing to a period of indentured...