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American Holocaust Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1993
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January 23, 2026
4.5 / 5 Stars | 90 / 100
I started American Holocaust on ‘Columbus Day’ 2025 with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of the true history of European colonization in the Americas. Despite coming in at a rather brief 258 pages, it nonetheless took me just over three months to finish this text.
Why?
Well, two reasons:
First and foremost, this work is an academic text, and as such is chock full of data, facts, and figures that make it hard to sink one’s teeth into; maybe even more so than conventional works of nonfiction. Ironically, Dr. Stannard actually addresses this very point;
The second reason is that it is nightmarish to read the fates of so many souls that once peacefully existed on this American continent prior to the arrival of Europeans. Although many individuals (including myself) believe they comprehend the reality of the European menace towards the natives, American Holocaust truly puts things into perspective, and it becomes necessary to take a step back from the book at times to reflect on the level of brutality that was inflicted on the native peoples of North, Central, and South America. Men, women, and children were killed through various methods including pestilence, decapitation, dismemberment, immolation, drowning, enslavement, etc.
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In order to effectively summarize the progression of the genocide, Dr. Stannard breaks American Holocaust down into three sections.
The first section, “Before Columbus” dispels the myth of ‘savage’ native societies, in no small part with the assistance of first hand testimony from Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors who wrote of the astonishing opulence and splendor of Central and South American civilizations. These accounts describe incredible feats of city building, surprisingly egalitarian societies, and generous natives who welcomed their future conquerors with kindness and open arms.
The second section, “Pestilence and Genocide” describes the immense chaos and havoc that were wrought in the wake of the arrival of the European conquistadors and colonizers. The means by which many Native Americans fell victim to the European invasion are mentioned earlier in this review.
The third and final section, “Sex, Race, and Holy War” explains the dogma of European religious thought of the era, which in turn enabled Europeans to commit atrocities on Native Americans with the guise of civilizing the natives and bringing them into the fold of Christian belief. Nonetheless, viewpoints of Native Americans as a sub-human species ensured that even natives willing to forsake the religions and traditions of their ancestors would not be granted respect by their colonizers.
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In summary, this is undoubtedly one of the most important works I’ve ever read on the history of genocide, especially when the events described in this book are often outright overlooked or obfuscated in modern historical instruction. The only reason that American Holocaust doesn’t receive a 5-Star Rating is because the dry academic nature of this text can unfortunately be enough to put some readers off of reading and absorbing the information contained here. Despite this, however, the importance of Dr. Stannard’s research in clarifying the true history of European colonialism in the Americas cannot be overstated, and any reader with the motivation to tackle a daunting read should consider giving it a shot.
I started American Holocaust on ‘Columbus Day’ 2025 with the goal of gaining a greater understanding of the true history of European colonization in the Americas. Despite coming in at a rather brief 258 pages, it nonetheless took me just over three months to finish this text.
Why?
Well, two reasons:
First and foremost, this work is an academic text, and as such is chock full of data, facts, and figures that make it hard to sink one’s teeth into; maybe even more so than conventional works of nonfiction. Ironically, Dr. Stannard actually addresses this very point;
“Massacres of this sort were so numerous and routine that recounting them eventually becomes numbing – and, of course, far more carnage of this sort occurred than ever was recorded. So no matter how numbed – or even, shamefully, bored – we might become at hearing story after story after story of the mass murder, pillage, rape, and torture of America’s native peoples, we can be assured that, however much we hear, we have heard only a small fragment of what there was to tell.” (p. 126)
The second reason is that it is nightmarish to read the fates of so many souls that once peacefully existed on this American continent prior to the arrival of Europeans. Although many individuals (including myself) believe they comprehend the reality of the European menace towards the natives, American Holocaust truly puts things into perspective, and it becomes necessary to take a step back from the book at times to reflect on the level of brutality that was inflicted on the native peoples of North, Central, and South America. Men, women, and children were killed through various methods including pestilence, decapitation, dismemberment, immolation, drowning, enslavement, etc.
“Nationwide by this time [the late 18th Century] only about one-third of one percent of America’s population – 250,000 out of 76,000,000 – were natives. The worst human holocaust the world had ever witnessed, roaring across two continents non-stop for four centuries and consuming the lives of countless tens of millions of people, finally had leveled off. There was, at last, almost no one left to kill.” (p. 146)
------------------------------------------------
In order to effectively summarize the progression of the genocide, Dr. Stannard breaks American Holocaust down into three sections.
The first section, “Before Columbus” dispels the myth of ‘savage’ native societies, in no small part with the assistance of first hand testimony from Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors who wrote of the astonishing opulence and splendor of Central and South American civilizations. These accounts describe incredible feats of city building, surprisingly egalitarian societies, and generous natives who welcomed their future conquerors with kindness and open arms.
The second section, “Pestilence and Genocide” describes the immense chaos and havoc that were wrought in the wake of the arrival of the European conquistadors and colonizers. The means by which many Native Americans fell victim to the European invasion are mentioned earlier in this review.
The third and final section, “Sex, Race, and Holy War” explains the dogma of European religious thought of the era, which in turn enabled Europeans to commit atrocities on Native Americans with the guise of civilizing the natives and bringing them into the fold of Christian belief. Nonetheless, viewpoints of Native Americans as a sub-human species ensured that even natives willing to forsake the religions and traditions of their ancestors would not be granted respect by their colonizers.
------------------------------------------------
In summary, this is undoubtedly one of the most important works I’ve ever read on the history of genocide, especially when the events described in this book are often outright overlooked or obfuscated in modern historical instruction. The only reason that American Holocaust doesn’t receive a 5-Star Rating is because the dry academic nature of this text can unfortunately be enough to put some readers off of reading and absorbing the information contained here. Despite this, however, the importance of Dr. Stannard’s research in clarifying the true history of European colonialism in the Americas cannot be overstated, and any reader with the motivation to tackle a daunting read should consider giving it a shot.
Displaying 1 of 1 review