While many of Novack’s conclusions continue to be true, some things have changed. I know of two books that give a clear documentation of the genocide that was carried out against Native Americans by the U.S. government. They are: Ward Churchill’s A Little Matter of Genocide, and David E. Stannard’s American Holocaust. The facts presented in these books expose the foundations of how property was acquired in this country.

While Native Americans experienced genocide, we can also say that they made many contributions which we take for granted today…. Some of these contributions include the fact that much of the food we eat was developed by Native American farming techniques…. Even Karl Marx commented that the origins of the capitalist system began with the mining of gold and silver in Mexico, Peru, and Bolivia by Native Americans working under abysmally difficult conditions.

There is one question concerning this history that I have found difficult to answer. George Novack argued that history follows an uneven and combined development. This means that while the overall course of history is progressive there are numerous setbacks that pull humanity back in a negative direction. When it comes to Native Americans it is difficult to see the gains that have been made as a result of the heroic struggles they have waged throughout the Western Hemisphere. Even Fidel Castro has argued that Native Americans might have had better lives before Columbus than they do today.

However, there is one clear aspect to this history that is progressive. In the past there was never a real opportunity for Native Americans to unite in struggle with workers and farmers. Today this opportunity exists as it never had in the past. As the working class deepens its resistance to the capitalist offensive we’re experiencing today, we will find no better ally than Native Americans, who have been defending their rights for over five hundred years.

Steve Halpern
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The letters column is an open forum for all viewpoints on subjects of interest to working people.

Please keep your letters brief. Where necessary they will be abridged. Please indicate if you prefer that your initials be used rather than your full name.
 
 
Related articles:
Genocide against the Indians: materialism vs. moralizing  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home