Helen Hunt Jackson A Century Of Dishonor

Government s flawed indian policy and the unfair and cruel treatment afforded north american indians by expansionist americans.

Jackson wrote a century of dishonor in an attempt to change government ideas and policy toward native americans at a time when effects of the 1871 indian appropriations act had begun to draw the attention of the public. A century of dishonor is a non fiction book by helen hunt jackson first published in 1881 that chronicled the experiences of native americans in the united states focusing on injustices. In 1881 helen hunt jackson published a century of dishonor a history of the injustices visited upon native americans. H is considered the first serious study of us federal indian policy by scholars and her intent in writing it was to do for native americans what harriet beecher stowe s uncle tom s cabin had done for african american slaves.

The result was the dawes act that broke up reservation land into individual plots. Jackson s book was well received and congress appointed a commission to look into indian affairs. Formerly uninvolved with reform causes jackson a well known poet became interested in. In 1882 helen hunt jackson wrote the book a century of dishonor.

The book a century of dishonor by helen hunt jackson who wrote under the pen name h. She used the book to detail injustices native americans faced and had been facing for years. Jackson attended a meeting in boston in 1879 at which standing bear a ponca. Exposing the many wrongs perpetrated by her country she hoped to redeem the name of the united states from the stain of a century of dishonor.