342: Indian Givers by Jack Weatherford

Indian Givers: How Native Americans Transformed the World by Jack Weatherford

Weatherford may occasionally overstate the case for Indian influence on Western Europeans. But not by much. Of all the dark chapters in the history of colonialism the decimation of the people living in the Western hemisphere when Europeans arrived is one of the darkest.

Weatherford systematically reviews the key gifts those early Christians received from the different Indian nations. He argues that it was the abundant silver found in South America that tipped Europe into capitalism. The Iroquois Confederacy helped inspire and shape the US Constitution. The superior agricultural science of the Indians fundamentally changed the diet of Europe.

And in return for all of these treasures, what did the white Christians do for the Indians?

Why this is progressive/liberal: If you think you're already the pinnacle of civilization then there's no reason for progress. And if you think things were even better in the old days, then there's even less reason for progressive measures. If you think the genocidal annihilation of hundreds of independent nations is wrong, and you see much of the same cultural attitudes at work today, then you're beginning to understand why some people clamor for progress.

While I'm at it, let me also recommend Weatherford's works on Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, and The History of Money.

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