We have much to celebrate in this 250th year of the American story, yet we need also to recognize and honor the ongoing efforts for Indigenous Nations to obtain their full rights as Nations within our Nation. The year 1876 saw the last triumphs of Indian martial power in the American West, as well as the painful loss of independence in Indian Country. Yet we may also claim this as a pivotal moment toward to rebirth of Indigenous political innovation, activism, and assertion of right to autonomy and self-determination.

Presented by Dr. James F. Brooks, Carl and Sally Gable Distinguished Professor of History at University of Georgia, this illustrated talk looks at how the collapse of Reconstruction in the Deep South prefigured a century of rebirth and survivance among the 575 Indian Nations resident in our United States today.

Presented in person and virtually. To attend via Zoom, register via this link: https://bit.ly/4hHtocO(opens in new tab)

“Americans” was developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibition was adapted for travel by Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils across the country. Support is provided by the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future:250, a Smithsonian-wide initiative commemorating the nation’s 250th.

“Americans” has been made possible in South Carolina by South Carolina Humanities.