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donaldleitch's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Claudio Saunt has written a sad but engaging history of the relocation of indigenous persons from east of the Mississippi (United States) to west in the 1820s and 1830s. The book details the political measures to make relocation happen, culminating with a narrow vote in Congress and the election of Andrew Jackson as president. The repeated deprivations of food and health care experienced by the indigenous people, forced to march westward or travel by steamboat, are identified. Numerous public servants and government agents lied and misled the indigenous peoples who had no recourse to the courts for fair treatment as indigenous peoples could not give testimony or act against a white person. The greed of speculators and others was readily apparent. Unworthy Republic is a timely read in understanding the current relationship of indigenous peoples with governments today.
akalexander24's review against another edition
4.0
Essential reading, but unsurprisingly, and with awareness of the difficulty of this—I wanted more native perspectives, especially native women. An attempt is made, but the book doesn’t quite succeed in both the goals of a “traditional” great men and bureaucracy history and an “alternative” lived-lives history.
glowe2's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
The book documents how Native American tribes in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi were systematic denied rights granted to them in the Constitution and official treaties during the 1830's. These actions were condoned and carried out at the highest levels in the administration, including President Andrew Jackson. The author is a professor of history at the University of Georgia and the book reads like an academic paper, full of facts and details but not a sense of outrage about not only what happened but how the United States still struggles with the same issues - racism, greed, corruption, etc.
emilyfeldmesser's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
ursulamonarch's review against another edition
I was disappointed in myself that, as a lay reader, I found this book too detailed and dense to really get into. I'm sure it's a great book, but I certainly didn't appreciate all the primary sources and careful examination of a fascinating and disturbing topic, which again is definitely a fault with me and not the book. I guess I need a "for dummies" version...
bghillman's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Goodreads for the opportunity to read this book.
Saunt's monograph is a thorough account of the forces that led to the forced migration of Native Peoples in the American Southwest in the 1830s. His book narrates the forces that led to this policy, highlighting their contingency and, in many respects, their brutality. Saunt's moral convictions are subtly articulated in this book. For example, instead of directly castigating figures for their moral depravity he moralizes through slyly appended adjectives and asides.
The ideal reader of this book should be interested in the topic beforehand. It is well-crafted, well-researched, and well-paced, but it is not the type of book that is likely to draw interest from those who know or care little about American history. That said, it is highly recommended to those interested in the topic.
Saunt's monograph is a thorough account of the forces that led to the forced migration of Native Peoples in the American Southwest in the 1830s. His book narrates the forces that led to this policy, highlighting their contingency and, in many respects, their brutality. Saunt's moral convictions are subtly articulated in this book. For example, instead of directly castigating figures for their moral depravity he moralizes through slyly appended adjectives and asides.
The ideal reader of this book should be interested in the topic beforehand. It is well-crafted, well-researched, and well-paced, but it is not the type of book that is likely to draw interest from those who know or care little about American history. That said, it is highly recommended to those interested in the topic.
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