The Impact of U.S. Land Theft

Book excerpt: Without the theft of indigenous groups' lands and the exploitation of African slave labor, whites would not currently own over 95 percent of land in the U.S. Due to the forced assimilation to European religious beliefs and customs, many indigenous and former slaves compromised their native beliefs to appease European settlers. Unfortunately, the new way of life led to the five "civilized" tribes owning slaves and some former slaves joining the military to fight against tribal groups after the Civil War. As more Europeans populated the United States, the adoption of English common law beliefs of statehood and demarcation of land created our current property laws, thus replacing indigenous and African beliefs of communal living. U.S. property law was written strategically to provide land protection for whites and equip future generations to continue the European legacy of stealing land from indigenous and black landowners. Due to the history of land theft and property laws Whites now own over 95 percent of U.S. land. White Land Theft explores the history of European settlement in the Plain States and the present-day land loss of both exploited communities. Hishaw's recommendations of land reparations and how to disburse it, along with legal analysis related to tax credits, are backed up by industry interviews and her 15 years of professional experience. White Land Theft is a factual justification for land reparations supported by extensive research.