What Kids are Not Taught, Colonialism is Never Peaceful,
Settler Colonialism
Settler Colonialism is well described in “Not a Nation of Immigrants” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. It involves genocide and is often related to white supremacy. The goal is to displace an existing population and replace it with a new settler population. British colonies in Australia, the U.S. and Canada are examples of settler colonialism. Among other nations suggested as demonstrating settler colonialism are South Africa, New Zealand and Israel. Examples follow:
Colonialism in Australia involved the elimination of Indigenous Australians (Aboriginals) and their replacement by a settler society. Initially this involved a great deal of violence including massacres, dispossession of land and starvation. It continues today in the form of cultural assimilation.
In the U.S., settler colonialism developed over 170 years of British control in North America and has continued after the American Revolution. Those referred to as “founders” in U.S. history were, according to Dunbar-Ortiz, “not an oppressed, colonized people… They were imperialists who visualized the conquest of the continent…”.
In virtually every U.S. history text I’ve read, colonialism is portrayed more as adventurous struggle than armed theft. In teaching that history, especially in high school, it is instructionally useful and historically more accurate to explain how the United States is an example of settler colonialism.
It will take work, but most textbooks provide a few sentences that create opportunities for stimulating discussions. In “History Alive!” there is this accurate description of settler colonialism: “The land that drew colonists to America was already occupied…. settlers eventually stripped eastern tribes of most of their land through purchases, wars, and unfair treaties.”
Source: Missing Links in Textbook History: Colonialism – ScheerPost
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