Violence over the Land: Indians and Empires in the Early American West
Blackhawk begins with the premise that too many histories written about the United States downplay the violence perpetrated by its citizens on native peoples. Through his study of the experiences of the various Ute, Paiute, and Shoshone groups residing in what is now Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, and California (the Great Basin), Blackhawk vividly demonstrates the importance of illuminating the consequences of that violence, which continue to reverberate today. It should be noted that Blackhawk, a Western Shoshone himself, does not portray the natives as victims. Instead, he demonstrates that their perseverance and ability to adapt to changing conditions over the last two centuries allowed them to help shape the world around them. This exceptional monograph is one of the finest studies available on the native peoples of the Great Basin region. (John BurchLibrary Journal2006-09-15)Ned Blackhawk'sViolence over the Landprovides much more than a few missing pages of what came to be the northern frontier of the Spanish colonial empire--or the early American West. More than that, it is a contribution to the living narrative of this continent...one that begins not with the arrival of three European ships in 1492, not with conquistadors or soldiers and missionaries--but rather far back to a time before recorded history on this continent...Violence over the Landis complex, layered history that covers what is nowadays referred to as the Great Basin...It is a region and a history that is normally ignored by U.S. historians. (Roberto Rodriguez and Patrisia GonzalesColumn of the Americas2006-12-31)Ned Blackhawk'sViolence over the Landpresents the empirical record from the Spanish West, the areas of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and the Great Basin country of Utah and Nevada where the various Ute, Pauite, and Shoshone tribes lived. The age of modern empire brought first the Spanish empire and its clashes with the British and French empires, followed by the Spanish and American clashes that resulted in American supremacy across the continent. It is a perspective of an expanding American empire overtaking a weakened Spanish empire (after 1824, the Republic of Mexico), based on the view that American continental expansion was as much more about empire and empirical control of property, wealth, and resources, as any other civilizing drive...Blackhawk effectively weaves a story beginning with the Spanish, involving the rise of equestrian nations from captured and stolen horses, the effects of disease, the changes in tribal economies brought about by settlements and trade for products increasingly in demand as they became necessary for survival and accommodation to the newcomers, rifles and ammunition. Slavery played a large role in the economies of the area...The violence that is the subject of this book, of "Indians and Empires," carries itself forward today with American imperial ambitions around the globe. It is both the predominant military violence and its inter-woven cultural aspects, with the changing manner of accommodation by the groups that encounter and resist that violence. The American empire was born of violence, and as ably demonstrated byViolence over the Land, grew through violence to become the violent society and empire it remains today. Ned Blackhawk has done much justice to the history of his people and the manner in which the west developed, and the manner in which the American empire progressed. (Jim MilesPalestine Chronicle2006-12-27)Blackhawk's achievement...is not just rephrasing what is already known, but actually filling a void in historical knowledge by restoring previously overlooked peoples to the record...Blackhawk claims that American history has "failed to reckon with the violence upon which the continent was built"...No other Western historian has exposed that violence as starkly as he has. (David WishartTimes Literary Supplement2007-05-25)Blackhawk charges that too many U.S. historians fail to acknowledge "violence and American nationhood...progressed hand in hand," and need to recognize the long-term consequences of Native Americans' experiences with European American imperialism. The author argues that histories that downplay the violence involved in the U.S. occupation of the West are woefully inadequate. This important book should be read by anyone interested in western or Native American history. (M. C. MangussoChoice2007-07-01)This book takes an academic approach but reads well and reveals an interesting aspect of Southwestern history from a new perspective. It will probably be recognized as a ground-breaking advance in Native American history. (Charles BennettNew Mexico Magazine2007-07-01)This book fills large gaps—both geographical and historical—in the narratives of the intermountain West. Blackhawk demonstrates the prominent role of violence, albeit with occasional respires, in shaping native-settler relations. Furthermore, he shows how violence, and especially the attempts by native peoples to adjust to it, shaped their histories and social organizations.Violence over the Landis a significant addition to the history of the U.S. West. It sets a high standard on how to use colonizers’ accounts to present native views of history. (Thomas D. HallJournal of American History2007-09-01)