Who is American democracy for and who could participate in early American democracy?
Women and African Americans were often barred from voting in colonial and early republic elections. But what about Native Americans? Could Native Americans participate in early American democracy?
Julie Reed, an Assistant Professor of History at the Pennsylvania State University, and Kathleen DuVal, the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, join us to investigate how the sovereignty of native nations fits within the sovereignty of the United States and its democracy.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Julie Reed, an Assistant Professor of History at the Pennsylvania State University, and Kathleen DuVal, the Bowman and Gordon Gray Distinguished Term Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, join us to investigate how the sovereignty of native nations fits within the sovereignty of the United States and its democracy.
During our investigation of if and how Native Americans could participate in early American democracy, Kathleen and Julie reveal Native American ideas about self-government before, during, and after the American Revolution; How the Cherokee people viewed American democracy and American ideas about Native Americans; And information about the Cherokee Constitution of 1827 and the Cherokee Nation election of 1828.
What You’ll Discover
- Native American ideas about self government by the 1770s
- Native American views on the American Revolution
- The Cherokee and how they received news of the American Revolution
- Cherokee society and governance by 1783
- Diplomacy between the Cherokee and new United States
- Ideas about “civilizing” and “assimilating” Native Americans into American culture
- How the Cherokee responded to Americans’ “civilizing” and “assimilation” ideas
- Cherokee governance by the early-to-mid 19th century
- The Cherokee Constitution of 1827
- The Cherokee Constitution of 1827 as a compromise document
- Structure of the Cherokee Nation government in 1828
- Participation in Cherokee governance
- Disenfranchisement of women & Afro-Cherokees
- Cherokee Election of 1828
- Indian Removal Act of 1830
- What happened after the Cherokees moved west
- What native sovereignty means for voting in the United States
- Thinking about treaties and native sovereignty today
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Kathleen DuVal
- Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution
- Julie Reed
- Serving the Nation: Cherokee Sovereignty and Social Welfare, 1800-1907
- Transcript
Sponsor Links
- Omohundro Institute
- OI Reader
- Election Series Bibliography
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Complementary Episodes
- Episode 037: Kathleen DuVal, Independence Lost
- Episode 158: The Revolutionaries’ Army
- Episode 162: Dunmore’s New World
- Episode 163: The American Revolution in North America
- Episode 223: Susan Sleeper-Smith, A Native American History of the Ohio River Valley & Great Lakes Region
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