Washington’s federal Native policy centered on a ‘civilization’ program

Evidence

In an address to Congress in 1791, Washington outlined six principles for federal relations with Native people; these included delivering “impartial” justice, regulated methods of land sales and trade, the right of the government to distribute diplomatic presents, penalties for those who violated Natives’ rights, and “rational experiments…for imparting to them the blessings of civilization.” The following year, Washington urged Congress to create a plan for “promoting civilization among the friendly tribes.” — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 479

Categorization

• XREF: Grounds the origin-story-as-infrastructure thesis: Washington’s stated principles for Native relations become part of what the nation dates its self-image from.