The American Indian in Western Legal Thought: The Discourses of ConquestIn The American Indian in Western Legal Thought Robert Williams, a legal scholar and Native American of the Lumbee tribe, traces the evolution of contemporary legal thought on the rights and status of American Indians and other indiginous tribal peoples. Beginning with an analysis of the medieval Christian crusading era and its substantive contributions to the West's legal discourse of h̀eathens' and ìnfidels', this study explores the development of the ideas that justified the New World conquests of Spain, England and the United States. Williams shows that long-held notions of the legality of European subjugation and colonization of s̀avage' and b̀arbarian' societies supported the conquests in America. Today, he demonstrates, echoes of racist and Eurocentric prejudices still reverberate in the doctrines and principles of legal discourse regarding native peoples' rights in the United States and in other nations as well.-- |
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American Indian argued argument asserted authority British Camden-Yorke opinion Catholic century charter Christian Church civilization claims colonial colonists colonizing discourse Columbus Company Congress Crown Crusade declared discourse of conquest divine Doctrine of Discovery dominium Elizabethan emperor empire encomienda England English Americans English colonizing European feudal frontier Gentili Gilbert grant H. C. Porter Hakluyt heathen Henry hierocratic holy Humphrey Gilbert Illinois-Wabash Company imperial Indian lands Indies indigenous infidel Innocent Innocent's Inter caetera Irish Johnson jurisdiction king king's Law of Nations legal discourse legal thought Lord medieval Mongol natural law natural-law rights Norman Yoke normatively divergent pagan papacy papal papal bull Peckham political pope possessed prerogative principles proclamation protection radical recognized rights and status rights of conquest Roman royal Samuel Wharton savages secular sovereignty Spain Spaniards Spanish speculators supra note territory text accompanying notes theory tion trade treaty Victoria Virginia vision voyage western lands Wharton World