UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

Once relegated to the margins of U.S. history, American Indian histories have emerged as important narratives in their own right and central components to the stories we tell about our own states, regions, and nation. For generations, American Indians have pushed their own priorities and been crucial historical actors in the making of the United States long before this nation came into existence. As part one of a yearlong survey of American Indian history, this course examines the histories of indigenous peoples of North America from their perspective, including the peopling of the Americas; pre-Columbian societies and civilizations; first contact encounters and exchanges with non-Natives; strategies American Indians used to confront expanding European and indigenous powers; and ways indigenous North Americans engaged global markets, diplomacy, and competing empires.