Black Indians

The history of the United States of America does not give enough importance to Black Indians, so little, in fact, that very few people have even heard of them. These people are African Americans whose ancestors were Native Americans, or lived among Native American tribes for a long time. Their contribution to the development of American society as we know it today has been significant, yet they have always been largely overlooked. Black Indians came about as a result of two fundamental factors: the mistreatment of American Indians and the confiscation of their land, and the slavery of Africans. The author references numerous important people of African and Native American descent in his book, including Crispus Attucks, a patriot who rebelled against British troops and was killed during the Boston Massacre in 1770. He also mentions Frederick Douglass who, after being freed from slavery, became an influential spokesman for Black Americans during the Civil War. His motto ‘if there is no struggle, there is no progress’ gave strength to revolutionary movements and inspired the many activists who came after him, including Blacks, whites, and American Indians. Paul Cuffee, a Native American with African heritage, was a wealthy merchant and ship-owner who was committed to fighting discrimination against African Americans. The story of Crispus Attucks shows that the contribution of Black Indians is not only linked to the liberation from slavery: they also fought against the British in the war for an independent American state. If we are to believe what we read in our history books at school, however, the whites were the only ones to fight in the struggle for independence. History, after all, was written by white people, so it was relatively easy for them to omit the awkward parts.