Walter L. Hixson. American : A History. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. xii + 253 pp. $28.50, paper, ISBN 978-1-137-37425-7.

Reviewed by Gregg French

Published on H-USA (May, 2014)

Commissioned by Donna Sinclair (Central Michigan University)

According to Walter L. Hixson in American previous “conventional” colonial projects, Anglo- : A History, the United States American settler colonialism was determined to has always been a settler colonial society. Since occupy vast portions of land and eliminate the na‐ the frst Anglo-American set foot on the tive societies that existed in the area, creating a continent of North America, Hixson argues that violent, militaristic practice of warfare that con‐ they envisioned themselves as the divinely chosen tinues to characterize the American military expe‐ discoverers of a “virgin land” that was theirs for rience to this day (p. 5). the taking. Drawing on the racial, gender, and re‐ Drawing on the diverse works of Russell F. ligious beliefs that they developed during their Weigley, Anne McClintock, Edward W. Said, and of Ireland, Anglo-American settlers many other established scholars, Hixson presents perceived the culturally diverse indigenous tribes a well-structured and thought-provoking work of North America as being inferior occupiers of that conceptualizes American settler colonialism land that they could not claim as being legally as a “continent-wide and centuries-long” experi‐ theirs. In an attempt to justify the westward ex‐ ence that was, and continues to be, an overlooked pansion across the continent of North America, but integral part of the American experience (p. Anglo-Americans created their own ideas of enti‐ x). Frustrated by the “Balkanization” of the study tlement, particularily that of Manifest Destiny, of American history, Hixson, a historian of Ameri‐ which continued to emphasize the belief in the can diplomacy, outlines in the preface and the in‐ colonizer’s divine mission. In turn, this led to eth‐ troduction of his work that he intends to present nic cleansing projects and genocidal acts through‐ his book as a settler colonial study that draws on out the continent of North America and followed postcolonial, borderlands, and genocide studies, American colonialism into America’s overseas as well as cultural history, diplomatic history, psy‐ . Therefore, Hixson contends that unlike choanalytic history, and ethno-history, in the H-Net Reviews hopes of further integrating the study of Ameri‐ and Indians along the constantly moving border‐ can settler colonialism into the narrative associat‐ land regions of North America. By thoroughly de‐ ed with American history. Far from a unique scribing these atrocities, Hixson shows that the in‐ American experience, Hixson also positions his digenous people of North America were not pas‐ work as a transnational experience by arguing sive subjects in America’s march westward. In re‐ that settler colonialism occurred throughout ality, Indian groups committed many atrocities. Canada, , New Zealand, and These acts of violence reinforced American fears primarily during the nineteenth century, and in the “savage” Indian and eventually led to the throughout Eastern during the Second “boomerang of violence,” a term Hixson uses to World War. Although this may seem like an overly reference the violence that occurred throughout ambitious attempt to present the reader with a the borderland regions and would defne Ameri‐ chronologically organized history of America’s can actions in future domestic and foreign con‐ transcontinental empire, Hixson’s theories and ficts (p. 1). methods are presented in a clear and concise In chapter 5, Hixson integrates the Mexican- fashion within the introduction. This allows the American War and the American Civil War into reader to fully understand Hixson’s beliefs that al‐ the narrative of settler colonialism by arguing though no single “frontier” existed, brutal vio‐ that both Mexicans and Confederates, much like lence characterized the relationship between Indians, did not have a place in America’s imag‐ Americans and the indigene throughout the conti‐ ined community. Therefore, violent crimes were nent of North America, and that it was this rela‐ committed against citizens and soldiers by mili‐ tionship that characterized American foreign poli‐ tary units primarily made up of volunteers, and cy from the colonial period up until the present. many of these volunteers made reference to their The introductory chapter outlines the histori‐ previous experiences fghting Indians on the fron‐ ography surrounding the study of settler colonial‐ tier. Social and cultural historians, particularly ism as well as the main themes of the book. Here, those who study race, have made the connection Hixson successfully integrates American settler between the white American view of Indians and colonialism into the larger narratives of America’s Mexicans for some time, thus connecting border‐ westward expansion and the study of the Ameri‐ land wars with the Mexican-American War. How‐ can Empire. Scholars of American foreign rela‐ ever, Hixson’s integration of the American Civil tions and postcolonial studies will fnd this por‐ War into the narrative of settler colonialism is tion of the work enlightening, as Hixson discusses controversial and unique, and may invoke con‐ the degree of ambivalence that existed among the tention and debate among both scholars and colonizers and the colonized; both groups members of the general public who continue to changed and were afected by their colonial en‐ allow the confict to promote the belief in Ameri‐ counters. can exceptionalism within the American histori‐ In chapters 2, 3, 4, and 6, Hixson thoroughly ography. examines the movement of Anglo-Americans Moving away from the practice of settler colo‐ across the continent of North America and the nialism in the continental United States, Hixson subsequent removal of the indigenous groups in shifts the focus to the American colonial experi‐ the regions, a process he accurately portrays as a ence in Alaska, Hawai’i, and the Philippines in combination of ethnic cleansing and genocide. chapters 7 and 8. Although these three regions dif‐ Within these chapters, he vividly describes the fered greatly, Hixson argues that the experience atrocities committed by both Anglo-Americans of settler colonialism shaped American practices

2 H-Net Reviews and ideologies in the regions, particularly when it or a graduate-level course that focuses on a vari‐ came to racial ideologies and land claims. Since ety of topics, including American foreign policy, the advent of American studies and the integra‐ borderland studies, and genocide studies. Howev‐ tion of America’s imperial past into the narrative er, an academic reader familiar with America’s of American history and imperial history, histori‐ movement westward across the continent may ans have continually made connections between become detached from the work by the repetitive America’s transcontinental empire and America’s listings of names, conficts, and dates, particulari‐ overseas empire in the Philippines. Comparatively ly in chapters 2, 3, 4, and 6; but they prove to be a speaking, little work has been done on America’s necessary evil when writing a book of this nature. colonial projects in Hawai’i and Alaska. There‐ With that being said, this remains a thought-pro‐ fore, Hixson should be commended for his inte‐ voking, interdisciplinary study of American set‐ gration of these two former territories into the tler colonialism, which is sure to encourage future narrative of American settler colonialism, and the debate and discussion about America’s violent academic community should expect to see more and far too often ignored past. historians focus on this aspect of American histo‐ ry in the near future. Hixson concludes his work by explaining that postcolonial history has not come to an end and that indigenous people have not disappeared. Rather, throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-frst century, Indians have participated in world wars, obtained the right to vote, re‐ claimed a fraction of the land that was taken from them, and have continued to struggle to bring their stories of colonialism and genocide to light. However, as Hixson points out, work is still left to be done and his hope is that forcing Americans to come to grips with their settler colonial past will allow for “the construction of a more peaceful fu‐ ture” (p. 200). Throughout the work, Hixson’s ability to study settler colonialism at the microscopic and macroscopic levels makes the book an engaging and interesting work. The historiographical intro‐ duction allows the work to appeal to a broad audi‐ ence but will most likely interest historians of borderland studies and the American Empire. The author’s discussion of America's Civil War and im‐ perial projects in Hawai’i and Alaska, within the larger narrative of American settler colonialism, must be applauded; although more work is still left to be done. This book will make an excellent resource for an advanced undergraduate course

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Citation: Gregg French. Review of Hixson, Walter L. American Settler Colonialism: A History. H-USA, H- Net Reviews. May, 2014.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=41847

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