A review of “The Rediscovery of America” in 100 words by Catherine Stover
Two things happened this week: the PBS documentary on the American Revolution featured Ned Blackhawk’s perspective as a Native American historian, and researchers discovered ancient canoes in Lake Mendota, about 25 miles from my house. Both of these events make me curious about the history of the people who lived here for thousands of years, which I know nearly nothing about. Blackhawk argues that we should build a new theory of American history, one in which native peoples and lands were “encountered,” not discovered. Is it time to learn a richer, more complex history of where we live? I am ready!
Blackhawk, Ned. The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History. Yale University Press, 2023, p. 3.