This Day in North American Indian History: Events in the History of North America's Native Peoples [Hardcover]

Phil Konstantin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2002

This Day in North American Indian History is a one-of-a-kind, fun-to-read book covering over 5,000 years of North American Indian history, culture, and lore. Wide-ranging and in-depth, it lists over 5,000 important events involving the native peoples of North America in a unique day-by-day format.From the construction of Mayan temples in A.D. 715 to modern political activism and governmental legislation affecting native peoples-and everything in between-virtually every significant historical event in Indian history is listed. It also includes biographical sketches of prominent and lesser-known North American Indian leaders, chiefs, explorers, and their white counterparts, descriptions of migrations, the histories of tribes and ancient languages, and a list of the meanings of tribal names. Well-organized and comprehensive, the thousands of entries in This Day in North American Indian History weave an exciting and panoramic mosaic of North American Indian history. It is the most all-encompassing single-volume reference work on the subject available.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By now the myth of the "discovery" and peopling of North America has passed into the historical record, with the idea of an empty land being tamed by toil and westward expansion giving way to a more accurate picture of steady trade, virtually nonstop wars and moments of cooperation between the native Americans and the European immigrants. Freelancer Konstantin shows readers just how many treaties, battles, settlements and resettlements, government acts, executive orders and surprise attacks comprise this troubled history. Covering territory from "Panama to the North Pole" and dates from the 16th century to the present, this exhaustive look at the plight of North America's indigenous people is both instructive and downright depressing. With its neutral tone and format, literally marking events over 365 days of the calendar year, it should be an important resource for furthering the cause of corrective history.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This work contains more than 4,000 entries listing significant events in North American Indian history for each day of the year. Events listed are only those that can be traced to an exact date. When more than one date is recorded for an event, the author, a freelance writer and member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has "tried to show which date is most acceptable to the widest number of sources." A fairly successful attempt has been made to avoid bias. The tone taken throughout is straightforward and objective, reporting on what happened on a given date in clear, unemotional prose.

The volume is laid out in columnar form in date order, beginning with January 1 and progressing to December 31. Under each date, events are listed chronologically, starting with the earliest recorded event (e.g., for January 1, dates run from 1756-1975, with a final "Every" entry giving an annual event, a form that is consistent throughout). Entries vary in length from three or four words to half a column, with most coming in at four or five sentences. Frequent black-and-white photographs and reproductions run from a quarter to half a column in size, and are placed adjacent to the passages they illustrate.

Several appendixes (including a list of tribal names and their meanings, alternate tribal names, and North American Indian calendars listing month and moon names) are followed by a three-page bibliography of print works and a lengthy, detailed, and accurate index. The index actually serves as a cross-referencing tool, listing all entries for particular tribes and events.

A useful quick-reference work, this is also an attractive browsing book. Though there is some overlap with books like the Biographical Dictionary of American Indian History to 1900 (Facts On File, 2001) and the Chronology of American Indian History: The Trail of the Wind (Facts On File, 2001), the format and purpose of this work are unique enough to justify purchase for public, college, and high-school libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (October 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811707
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811708
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Houston, and moved to California when I was 27. My work experiences have included twenty years as a California Highway Patrol officer (retired); TV reporter; radio talk-show host; I ran computers in Mission Control at NASA during the Apollo missions; and many more things.

I attended San Diego State University (BA, 1991) and Rice University. I have three adult children. San Diego is my home.

I have a mixed ethnic background. My Cherokee ancestry (enrolled citizen of the Cherokee nation) led me to writing my first book on American Indian history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting reading..., November 1, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: This Day in North American Indian History: Events in the History of North America's Native Peoples (Hardcover)

I have been to the author's website many times, and liked it. The book has lots more information than the website, which is massive. It is interesting to read about so many of these events. Most of the descriptions are short, but considering there must be over 5,000 events, that is understandable.

There are quite a mix of illustrations that match an event on their page.

The sections on the tribal name meanings and the Indian "moons" was both fascinating, and fun.

The index is one of the most comprehensive I have ever seen.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Dare You to Read this One Day at a Time, November 4, 2003

By 

Kay Porterfield - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Day in North American Indian History: Events in the History of North America's Native Peoples (Hardcover)

This Day in American Indian History by Phil Konstantin is a fascinating resource for everyone interested in North American Indians. I think it would be especially useful for educators who want to include American Indian History in the classroom, but fear they have neither the time nor the resources to do it. Taking five minutes to select and read one event a day the class is a good way to raise awareness, open minds, and start discussions.

As the co-author of a reference book, American Indian Contributions to the World, I've learned to be very selective about the books I keep in my library. Phil has come up with an accurate and interesting volume that is filled with teachable moments. I couldn't put it down. This one is definitely a keeper.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Saw it in museum in San Diego, October 10, 2002

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amazon (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Day in North American Indian History: Events in the History of North America's Native Peoples (Hardcover)

I have been to the author's website many times. Having all of this information in one place is great. Yes, yes, yes, there is information on events in Canada. There are about 100 photos and they are matched to an event on the page where they appear. I really like the sections in the back which list tribal name meanings (Erie = cat people) and the "moon" names. If you are interested in North American Indian history, this is a great book.