The World's Best Book Summaries
Why was Donald Trump voted into the presidency? Does it have anything to do with a historical shift in Christianity? Following the 2016 US presidential election, pundits argued that the 81% of evangelical Christians who voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton viewed him as the lesser of two evils. But, according to historian Kristin Du Mez, this explanation is misguided. Continue reading for our Jesus and John Wayne book overview.
What were some influential Native American nations? What do we know about how they lived? Prominent Native American nations include the Muscogee, the Shawnee, the Powhatan, and more. Seeing how they lived offers insight into the greater picture of America’s history. Continue reading to learn the names of nine indigenous nations in America and a bit about each.
How have Christians perceived masculinity over time? What influences have shaped these views? In Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin Du Mez argues that evangelicals endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election because he was the paradigm of militant masculinity that became orthodox among evangelicals in the last century. She traces the history of Christian masculinity from the Victorian era on. Read more for Du Mez’s historical assessment of American Christian masculinity.
Why did settlers come to America? Where did the colonial mindset come from? Settlers came to America because they felt superior to Native Americans and wanted to secure their wealth for themselves. If you look at where European settlers came from, you can see how racism and poverty paired together to feed colonization. Keep reading for more on the reasons behind European colonization.
How did the genocide of indigenous people in America happen? What were the colonizers’ tactics? The genocide of indigenous people in America was accomplished through tactics of total war, a method of decimating a population to force submission. Europeans attacked women, children, and the elderly, and they took or destroyed resources. Here’s how and why European settlers committed genocide in the Americas.
What did indigenous resistance look like? How did Native Americans resist colonization? Indigenous resistance against colonizing forces included guerrilla warfare, which meant setting fire to settlements, taking hostages, and killing settlers. Others chose to assimilate with the Europeans instead of participating in warfare, but this did not always spare them from European violence. Here’s more on how indigenous people resisted colonization in the Americas.
What did the westward expansion of the United States look like? What were its impacts on Native Americans? The westward expansion of the United States relied on violence towards and removal of Native American nations. An example of this was the Trail of Tears, a forced migration of 16,000 Cherokees where only 50% of the people survived. Here’s what happened when Europeans moved westward in the Americas.
Why did the forced migration of Native Americans happen? What violence forced them to move? The forced migration of Native Americans occurred as Europeans moved westward and demanded more territory. Migration was often deadly and meant leaving sacred, ancestral homes. Read more to see how Native Americans resisted westward expansion and how they were ultimately forced out of their homes.
What was the role of Native Americans during the Civil War? How were they involved? During the Civil War, Native Americans were subject to many anti-indigenous policies and racism, and many responded by fighting to divide the United States. By joining in the war, Native Americans hoped to weaken European forces. Continue reading to learn how indigenous people were affected by and involved in the Civil War.
What was the status of Native Americans in the 1900s? Were they still subjected to oppression? In the early 1900s, Native Americans were targeted by legislation that forced them to become United States citizens and took away their rights as indigenous nations. During this time, Native Americans also fought back and sought to secure safe places for their nations to live and thrive. Keep reading to see how things were for indigenous people in the United States during the 20th century.