The Chosen and The Damned: Native Americans and the Making of Race in the United States

The monument was set to commemorate the American Indian, a statue to be located in Staten Island. The project fell apart due to a lack of proper funding and proved to be another example of failed promises when it came to Native Americans. The Year was 1913, the United States was more than a century old, and despite the progress of the country, the relationship with the indigenous people remained fraught. A belief in their superiority, both intellectual and ideological, fueled the British and later American attempts to eradicate the Native Americans. The relationships between the early colonists and various tribes were tenuous as alliances quickly deteriorated into bloody hostilities. As Manifest Destiny justified claims on more land, the various tribes were forced to resettle or were eliminated through force. Only the passage of time has forced a reconciliation with the grave sins of our forefathers.

The Chosen and the Damned is a comprehensive and damning account of the divisive relationship between the United States and the Native Americans. Author David J. Silverman looks beyond the textbook dogma in detailing the litany of abuses committed against the men, women, and children of various tribes, resulting in a vital piece of American Historical literature.