Land and Body- the Politics of Safety

Allotment.

Dawes rolls.

Blood Quantum.

Graft.

Squatters’ rights.

Freedmen.

These words should be familiar to anyone who thinks they know American history.

In the podcast “This Land,” Rebecca Nagle tells the story of Native land theft in the US, primarily through the history of her own Cherokee Nation and the more recent uproar around McGirt v. Oklahoma, a case that the US Supreme Court ruled on in 2020. Oklahoma had long held that much of its eastern territory had ceased being Indian reservation land in the early 20th century, and was completely within state jurisdiction. The court ruled otherwise, but what does that mean? You’ll have to listen to find out more. Episode 5: “The Land Grab,” is a good place to start if you’re pressed for time. It touches on all the terms I listed above.

The Allotment Act, and Allotment in general, were initiatives on the part of the federal and state governments to convert reservation lands that were owned collectively by indigenous tribes, into parcels of property owned by individuals. The fine print was that this process created a great deal of “surplus” land after tribal members had been “allotted” theirs. This land could only be sold to the federal government, who in turn opened it up to homesteading or sold it outright. The profits from such sales was supposed to be held in trust accounts for the benefit of the tribes it was bought from, but corruption at all levels usually thwarted this provision.

Another podcast I highly recommend is “The Mental Illness Happy Hour.” Comedian Paul Gilmartin interviews artists, friends, and the occasional doctor about all things unwell- depression, anxiety, trauma, etc. It’s trauma that I think is worth thinking about with the controversy around Middle East conflicts, and history in general. The word has so saturated public discourse over the past 10 years that it sounds meaningless to many. Of course, it is anything but. Gilmartin delves into the ugly and excruciating reality of trauma and other afflictions with a level of humor and compassion that is truly astonishing. And there is no flinching. His interview with Meyli Chapin, an American survivor of a terrorist attack in Kenya, is a great introduction.

Sources:

This Land- Season 1, Episode 5: The Land Grab

The Mental Illness Happy Hour- w/ Meyli Chapin, author of Terrorist Attack Girl.

October 27, 1787- Federalist Papers Published

John Jay, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton

After declaring independence in 1776, the revolting American states scrambled to organize effectively. The closest thing to a national government was the Continental Congress, which set about the work of waging war and instituting a government at the same time.

In November of 1777, they submitted the Articles of Confederation to the states as the basis of government. It took a while longer for all the states to ratify it. This document governed the US from March of 1781 to March of 1789, when the Constitution of the United States of America went into effect.

The Constitution enhanced the powers of the federal government, which at the time were few, so it was a hard sell for most of the newly independent states. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay wrote a series of essays under the pen name Publius arguing in favor of the Constitution on various points.

They were published in New York City newspapers starting on October 27, 1787, and reprinted in many others throughout the US. These essays, The Federalist Papers, are still referred to today by lawyers, judges, and others to argue a wide range of views on the proper implementation of the Constitution and the intent of its framers (as if there were only one).

No, I haven’t read them yet; I’m getting to it— Geez!

Sources:

The Federalist Papers- Library of Congress

The Articles of Confederation- The National Archives

Terrorism and Apartheid

It is easy to get lost in the abstractions of history- the politics, the themes, the concepts. It’s tempting to get lost in the color of history- the mythology, the heroes and villians, the romance of artifacts and the stories written, painted, sung, and sculpted.

But history isn’t glorious, it is painfully real and leaves many people broken, bereft, and lost. No speech or law, no celebration or revolution, no veneration heals or even salves the wounds. All of our noise does little more than make it easier for bystanders to look away.

Nelson Mandela’s book, “Long Walk to Freedom” is the story of his life in Apartheid South Africa and how he was gradually drawn into the movement to overthrow the racist regime. Most of his work in that movement took place behind bars. What struck me about the book was the personal nature of the text. Mandela recounts events, politics, and personalities, but focuses more acutely on the effects of this history on his life and the lives of others. The messy, unglamorous loss and pain that result from trying to change the way things are.

A long read, but a good one.

Churchill Book Collector

October 20, 1962- Sino-Indian War

The Sino-Indian War was a month long armed conflict between India and the People’s Republic of China. Both nations had only recently seized the reigns of power from older regimes and colonizing forces and were still in the process of cementing their borders. This led to disputes that were mostly argued about diplomatically, if not cordially.

However, when India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama after the 1959 Tibetan Uprising, tensions reached a new level. When military units skirmished in the Ladakh region in 1962, China seized the initiative and invaded several disputed border areas. They were successful in pushing Indian forces out and after a month of fighting, unilaterally declared a ceasefire. Some parts of these borders are disputed to this day.

This is a topic I have little familiarity with, so I have surely missed much of the nuance involved. I will only add that these events did not occur in a vacuum and it has been common knowledge for quite a while that the US’ Central Intelligence Agency conducted numerous operations throughout Asia in hopes of destabilizing and overthrowing China’s communist regime.

The article below by Aldo Abitol examines the politics involved in this conflict in much greater detail. The second link directs you to the website Omniatlas, a site of historical maps that has some concise bullet points about the conflict.

Aldo D. Abitbol, “Causes of the 1962 Sino-Indian War: A systems Level Approach,” Josef Korbel Journal of Advanced International Studies 1 (Summer 2009): 74-88.

“East Asia 1962: Sino-Indian War.” Omniatlas.com. 2016. Accessed 10/20/23.

My War Diary: Lebanon June 5-July 1, 1982- Dov Yermiya

I read Dov Yermiya’s war diary in my 20s when I was still trying to get a basic understanding of the history of Israel and Palestine. It was an eye opener.

Yermiya was an Israeli veteran who fought in every war since 1948 when Israel was founded. There is no substitute for the account of a real person who was in the middle of a conflict if you are genuinely trying to understand it.

Whether or not you agree with Yermiya’s assessments or beliefs, he told the truth as he saw it from ground zero. He was not a politician, a talking head, or someone talking loud and sanctimoniously from a cozy refuge.

The book is sadly out of print, but there are used copies for sale online and it is carried by many libraries.

Worldcat Catalog

October 13, 1812- Battle of Queenston Heights

Jefferys, Charles Williams. The Death of Brock at Queenston Heights. 1908. Government of Ontario Art Collection, 619871.

The Battle of Queenston Heights was part of the War of 1812. It took place on the American-Canadian border near Niagra Falls. This is one of the messier wars in American history. Like the Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in the US) it was actually a global conflict between the British and French Empires.

The gentleman taking a bullet above is Sir Isaac Brock, the battle’s most memorialized casualty.

Sources:

Canadian Encyclopedia- The battle

National Park Service- The War

Occupants- Photographs

This book of photographs and vignettes will take you around the world, without skipping the sore spots.

The writing that accompanies the photos is more personal than observational.

Check out the Book TV episode linked below where the author presents a slideshow and talks more concretely about the images.

C-Span Interview

October 6, 1981- Anwar al-Sadat Assassinated

Anwar al-Sadat was the successor of Gamal Abdel-Nasser, the man who led the military coup against the Egyptian monarchy and their British allies.

He and Nasser were both leaders in a Pan-Arab movement throughout the Middle East. But al-Sadat made many enemies by rolling back socialist policies and signing a peace accord with Israel. Most have attributed his assassination in 1981 to these 2 factors.

Sources:

Blackpast

Sadat speech- LOC

Guardian Archive