The Shrinking Map: Native Nations of North America
How hundreds of Indigenous nations lost a continent — treaty by treaty — and how they endure.
How one event spilled into the next
The Proclamation Line
Britain bars settlers west of the Appalachians — a promise that fuels colonial anger.
The Indian Removal Act
Southeastern nations are forced west of the Mississippi.
Land cut into private plots
The Dawes Act breaks shared tribal land into individual allotments.
574 sovereign nations
Federally recognised tribes still govern reservations and fight for treaty rights.
Did you know?
The US Senate ratified around 370 treaties with Native nations — almost all were later broken or reduced.
The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy's Great Law of Peace is often cited as an influence on American federal ideas.
On the Trail of Tears, about 4,000 of 16,000 Cherokee died during forced removal in 1838–39.
Under the 1887 Dawes Act, Native-held land fell from about 138 million acres to 48 million in under 50 years.
Key figures
- TecumsehShawnee leader who built a pan-tribal alliance
- Sitting BullLakota leader at Little Bighorn
- John RossCherokee chief who fought removal in court
Where this comes from
- Claudio Saunt, Unworthy Republic (2020)
- Ned Blackhawk, The Rediscovery of America (2023)
- US National Archives, Native American treaties collection
Dates marked by tradition or legend are given as approximate.
Other sides of the story
Gathering perspectives…
What do you remember?
Preparing your quiz…
Every border, every spillover
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