Documents of United States Indian Policy

by Francis Paul Prucha (Editor)

The third edition of this landmark work adds forty new documents, which cover the significant developments in American Indian affairs since 1988. Among the topics dealt with are tribal self-governance, government-to-government relations, religious rights, repatriation of human remains, trust management, health and education, federal recognition of tribes, presidential policies, and Alaska Natives.

Genres: History, Reference, Native American, Government, Nonfiction

396 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1975

About the author

Francis Paul Prucha was an American Jesuit, historian, and professor emeritus of history at Marquette University. Prucha was a leading authority on American Indian policy and the author of more than a dozen books on the subject.

Reviews

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for individuals that will be working with American Indians in any way—as a literature Ph.D. student, I could not have fully understood some of the complexities of American Indian law and policy and the relationship between tribes and the Federal government without reading many of the selected essential documents in this collection. The book includes examples of “treaties, legislative enactments, judicial decisions, executive statements, and extracts from official commissions and committees” (back cover, American Indian Quarterly review).

Some of the “go to” documents in this collection (in my humble opinion) include:

“The Marshall Trilogy”
• Johnson and Graham’s Lessee v. William McIntosh, 1823 (p35)
• Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 1831 (p57)
• Worcester v. Georgia, 1832 (p60)

Land and Reservation Documents
• Transfer of Indian Affairs to the Department of the Interior, March 3, 1849 (p76)
• Establishment of a Reservation by Executive Order, May 29, 1873 (p142)
• Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, January 5, 1903 (p201)
• Indian Claims Commission Act, August 13, 1946 (p231)

Federal Legalities
• Major Crimes Act, March 3, 1885 (p166)
• Rules for Indian Courts, August 27, 1892 (p185)
• Indian Citizenship Act, June 2, 1974 (p218)
• Wheeler-Howard Act (Indian Reorganization Act), June 19, 1934 (p223)
• Indian Crimes Act of 1976, Mary 29, 1976 (p277)
• Federal Acknowledgement of Indian Tribes, October 2, 1978 (p189)
• Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, March 3, 2000 (p368)

Protecting Indian Identity
• National Indian Forest Resources Management Act, 1990 (p330)
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, 1990 (p332)
• Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (p344)
• Tribal Self-Governance Act of 1994 (p353)
• Indian Sacred Sites, Executive Order 13007, May 24, 1996 (p357)

Religious Freedoms
• Civil Rights Act of 1968, April 11, 1968 (p250)
• American Indian Religious Freedom Act, August 11, 1978 (p289)
• American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1994 (p349)

Education / Urban Indians
• Meriam Report, 1928 (p219)
• Public Law 280, August 15, 1953 (p234)
• Relocation of Indians in Urban Areas, 1954 (p238)
• Indian Education Act, June 23, 1972 (p263)
• Indian Child Welfare Act, November 8, 1978 (p294)

American Indian Gaming
• California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 1987 (p314)
• Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, 1988 (p322)