Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979 (Legal History of North America) 2 volume set [Hardcover]

Vine Deloria Jr. (Author), Raymond J. DeMallie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0806131187 | ISBN-13: 978-0806131184

Reproduced in this two-volume set are hundreds of treaties and agreements made by Indian nations--with, among others, the Continental Congress; England, Spain, and other foreign countries; the ephemeral Republic of Texas and the Confederate States; railroad companies seeking rights-of-way across Indian land; and other Indian nations. Many were made with the United States but either remained unratified by Congress or were rejected by the Indians themselves after the Senate amended them unacceptably. Many others are "agreements" made after the official--but hardly de facto--end of U.S. treaty making in 1871.

With the help of chapter introductions that concisely set each type of treaty in its historical and political context, these documents effectively trace the evolution of American Indian diplomacy in the United States.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vine Deloria, Jr., Professor of Political Science at the University of Arizona, is the author of a number of books and articles on events affecting the lives of American Indians. He serves as the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians and is an active spokesman and leader for the American Indian community throughout the nation.

Raymond J. DeMallie, who holds the Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago, is Professor of Anthropology in Indiana University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1536 pages
• Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (December 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806131187
• ISBN-13: 978-0806131184
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 3.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,127,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An essential compilation., December 15, 1999

By 

Claude-René DE WINTER - See all my reviews

This review is from: Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979 (Legal History of North America) 2 volume set (Hardcover)

This two volumes compilation of Indian Treaties is essential for anyone who wants to learn Native American Diplomacy with the U.S.A., Spain, Mexico and a great number of U.S. states, particulars, etc...

Two regrets : first, the references end with year 1979 (end of President CARTER's periode), but so many laws were established during Presidents REAGAN, BUSH and CLINTON... should have found its place here;

second, it's quite difficult to find a particular problem, while an important final index (pages 1500 to 1540) offers interesting possibilities. If You want to learn how Treaties were written and failed, You have to buy (or consult) those two books.

(Please excuse my bad English; I'm a natural French writer)

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important publication on treaties with the Indian Nations, December 14, 1999

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979 (Legal History of North America) 2 volume set (Hardcover)

This is an extremely important book for readers interested in the history of treaties between the United States ( and others ) and the Indian Nations.

This is a two volume, 1500 page work. This is surprising enough without considering that the texts of the 350+ traditionally acknowledged treaties - that have been accessed over the years through Charles J. Kappler's "Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties" - are not included here. Citations to Kappler's compilation are provided in Chapter 5 on "Valid Treaties." The scope of this work is demonstrated by the inclusion of early and very late treaties or agreements; by an analysis of the railroad/irrigation agreements; and by the enumeration of treaties and agreements rejected by Congress or by the Nations. This last group of documents is added to land grants to private parties, and to unratified or miscellaneous treaties or agreements, that collectively comprise the entire second volume.

Deloria and DeMallie state ( page 1475 ): "The goal of this collection is to identify every document that can be understood as representing a diplomatic negotiation by an Indian nation." For those interested in this area of history, this publication will be an asset to their collection.

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not do business with Good Will Books, September 1, 2010

By 

Amy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Documents of American Indian Diplomacy: Treaties, Agreements, and Conventions, 1775-1979 (Legal History of North America) 2 volume set (Hardcover)

I ordered both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of Documents of American Indian Diplomacy, however, I received only Volume 2. I contacted the seller three times before I received a response. Good Will Books claimed that they do not always know what is in their inventory if it is multi-volume set. They extended their apologies and offered to send me a return label. Yet, I was not entitled to a credit card refund, but rather a credit to their store. I responded that this was not good or fair business, since the books were advertised as a set. And, due to the expense of the volumes--$54.69. I never heard from Good will Books again nor did I receive a return label address. I have tried to find Volume 1 without Volume 2, but have had no luck. I need both volumes, as I teach a course on American Indian Identity. I am a graduate teaching assistant at a big 10 university, so my paycheck is below poverty level. This was a huge expense to me. Good Will Books is the complete opposite of what their name suggests. BEWARE!