I’ve made a point of trying to highlight US and colonial history that is little known, since joining FR. Some of it just got lost over time, some of it was deliberately concealed due to the biases of the era, and some of it was a deliberate snub.
Lack of recognition of the Regulator War in NC, as the earliest shots fired in the Revolution, is but one example. A George Washington quote, referring to the region of NC he was travelling through at the time, as “Regulator country,” is the source of my screen name. The bizarre omission of Jamestown in our national founding mythos is another.
Truth is good. It also sheds much light upon certain modern circumstances, that make little sense otherwise. What’s that old quote about the past not really being past? It certainly applies.
Virginia Tribes: Recognition
When Capt. John Smith walked ashore at Jamestown, he did not encounter an uninhabited land. Indians preceded him. Numerous place names and other references attest to the Indian presence. Yet except for the retelling of quaint stories about Pocahontas, Virginia long pushed its original residents out of sight and mind. For the commonwealth’s tribes, federal recognition at least symbolically would help to correct the record.
Legislation to confer tribal recognition is working its way through Congress, and is given its best chance for success ever. Fears that recognition could lead to casinos apparently have been overcome.
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http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/editorials/article/ED-TRIB07_20091206-173604/309922/