A Century of Dishonor

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First published in 1881, Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor is a seminal account of the U.S. government's flawed Indian policy and the harsh treatment of North American Indians by expansionist Americans. Jackson wrote the book to "appeal to the hearts and conscience of the American people," aiming to inspire legislative reform and redeem the nation from a "century of dishonor." Her work marks a significant moment in Indian reform, initiating a long process of raising public awareness for Indian rights that persists today. The book begins with a legal brief on the original Indian right of occupancy and progresses to Jackson’s critique of the irresponsibility and dishonesty that devastated various tribes, including the Delaware, Cheyenne, Nez Perce, Sioux, Ponca, Winnebago, and Cherokee. She condemns the government's "shameful record of broken treaties" and highlights the violence and injustices inflicted by frontier settlers, noting that Indian retaliation was rare. Key historical events, such as Chief Joseph's flight and the Cherokee Trail of Tears, underscore her arguments. Valerie Sherer Mathes’s foreword contextualizes Jackson’s life and writings within the reform movements of the nineteenth century. This unabridged paperback edition includes an index and an appendix featuring Jackson’s correspondence regarding the Sand Creek Massacre and her report as Special Commissioner investigating the needs of California’s