Indigenous Veterans and their Families after the U.S. Civil War

FAIN: FT-291491-23

Michelle Cassidy
Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, MI 48859-0001)

Research leading to a book on Indigenous veterans, their families, and their communities following the Civil War (1865-1920).

This project compares pension applications from Indigenous applicants in New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indian Territory to tell stories of Native American veterans of the U.S. Army, their families, and broader communities after the U.S. Civil War. Indigenous veterans and their families faced increasing pressure on their land bases, including allotment policies. As Indigenous women dealt with the loss of sons and husbands, they also navigated federal Indian policies. Using race and gender as analytical frameworks to compare Indigenous applicants’ experiences to Black and rural white applicants, this project will contribute to our understanding of veterans and the Civil War era. The project explores the challenges Indigenous applicants faced during a period in which political rights were debated and both African American and Indigenous people struggled to make a place for themselves in post-war society and to strive for “A More Perfect Union.”