Challenges the myth of the United States as a nation of immigrants by bringing together two groups rarely read together: Native Americans and Eastern European immigrants In this cultural history of Americanization during the Progressive Era, Cristina Stanciu argues that new immigrants and Native Americans shaped the intellectual and cultural debates over inclusion and exclusion, challenging ideas of national belonging, citizenship, and literary and cultural production. Deeply grounded in a wide-ranging archive of Indigenous and new immigrant writing and visual culture--including congressional acts, testimonies, news reports, cartoons, poetry, fiction, and silent film--this book brings together voices of Native and immigrant America. Stanciu shows that, although Native Americans and new immigrants faced different legal and cultural obstacles to citizenship, the challenges they faced and their resistance to assimilation and Americanization often ran along parallel paths. Both struggled against idealized models of American citizenship that dominated public spaces. Both participated in government-sponsored Americanization efforts and worked to gain agency and sovereignty while negotiating naturalization. Rethinking popular understandings of Americanization, Stanciu argues that the new immigrants and Native Americans at the heart of this book expanded the narrow definitions of American identity.

This book is a collection of six case studies of teacher agency in action, centering on voices of educators who engaged in activist work throughout the history of education in the US. Through a lens of teacher agency and resistance, chapter authors explore the stories of individual educators to determine how particular historical and cultural contexts contributed to these educators’ activist efforts. By analyzing specific modes and methods of resistance found within diverse communities throughout the last century of US education, this book helps to identify and place into theoretical and historical context an underemphasized narrative of professional teacher-activists within American education.

Boarding School Voices is both an anthology of mostly unpublished writing by former students of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and a study of that writing. The boarding schools’ ethnocidal practices have become a metaphor for the worst evils of colonialism, a specifiable source for the ills that beset Native communities today. But the fuller story is one not only of suffering and pain, loss and abjection, but also of ingenious agency, creative syntheses, and unimagined adaptations. Although tragic for many student, for others the Carlisle experience led to positive outcomes in their lives. Some published short pieces in the Carlisle newspapers and others sent letters and photos to the school over the years. Arnold Krupat transcribes selections from the letters of these former students literally and unedited, emphasizing their evocative language and what they tell of themselves and their home communities, and the perspectives they offer on a wider American world. Their sense of themselves and their worldview provide detailed insights into what was abstractly and vaguely referred to as “the Indian question.” These former students were the oxymoron Carlisle superintendent Richard Henry Pratt could not imagine and never comprehended: they were Carlisle Indians.

Luther Standing Bear's 'The Extraordinary Life and Works of Luther Standing Bear' is a profound exploration into the life and legacy of the famous Native American author and activist. The book delves into Standing Bear's literary style, which is imbued with rich cultural insights and storytelling traditions of the Lakota Sioux people. Through his writings, Standing Bear provides a unique perspective on the struggles and triumphs of Native American life in the face of colonization and modernization. His works are a valuable contribution to Native American literature and are celebrated for their authenticity and vivid imagery. This book serves as a comprehensive overview of Standing Bear's most significant writings and the impact they have had on the literary world.Luther Standing Bear, a prominent Lakota Sioux leader, drew inspiration from his own experiences and ancestral wisdom to create meaningful and thought-provoking literature. His advocacy for Native American rights and cultural preservation are palpable in his writings, making him a revered figure in both literary and activist circles. Standing Bear's unique cultural perspective and storytelling abilities set him apart as a significant voice in American literature.I highly recommend 'The Extraordinary Life and Works of Luther Standing Bear' to readers interested in Native American literature, cultural studies, or the intersection of activism and literature. This book offers a valuable insight into the life and writings of a visionary author whose work continues to resonate with readers today.

" ... [The book] is just a message to the white race; to bring my people before their eyes in a true and authentic manner ..."--Preface.