History of Native Americans in the United States

The history of Indigenous peoples within the present-day United States, from their societies before European colonization through continuing political, cultural, and social change.

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Peopling of the Americas: The prehistoric movement and settlement of human populations throughout the Americas. Deep-time migration frames the long history of Indigenous presence before written colonial records.
Columbian exchange: The ecological and cultural exchange between the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia after 1492. New diseases and introduced species reshaped Indigenous communities and environments.
Tecumseh: A Shawnee leader who organized Indigenous resistance to United States expansion in the early nineteenth century. His confederacy sought to defend Native homelands against encroachment.
Tribal sovereignty in the United States: The inherent authority of Native nations to govern themselves, subject to their relationships with the United States. Sovereignty is a continuing basis for political authority and disputes over jurisdiction.
Indigenous peoples: Peoples with historical continuity to societies that predate colonization and maintain distinct relationships to land, culture, and political identity. The broader term situates Native American histories within global Indigenous experiences.
Pre-Columbian era: The period in the Americas before sustained European contact beginning in 1492. It encompasses the diverse societies that existed before European colonization.
Indian removal: The forced displacement of Indigenous peoples from their homelands by United States policies and actions, especially during the nineteenth century. Removal shifted Native nations westward and dispossessed them of eastern homelands.
Sarah Winnemucca: A Northern Paiute author, interpreter, and activist who advocated for her people in the nineteenth century. Her public testimony and writing documented dispossession and challenged federal policy.
Indian Citizenship Act: The 1924 United States law that granted citizenship to all Indigenous people born within the country's territorial limits. Citizenship changed legal status without ending tribal citizenship or resolving voting barriers.
Native American: A widely used term for Indigenous peoples of the United States, though preferences vary among individuals and nations. The label is common in United States contexts but does not replace specific nation names.