Reclaiming Native Ground: Native America Since
Osher Online | Available (Membership Required)
This course will explore Native American history in the late 19th and 20th centuries, a time punctuated by the violence of American expansion and consolidation, the boarding school systems that sought to erase Native cultures, and the effects of imperialism, which conspired to keep Native people in a subordinate status compared to their white neighbors. Yet, at this time, Native Nations began to rebuild and reclaim the United States as Native ground, drawing on ancient traditions to revitalize communities and fight for their rights in the American court system, the political system, and the court of public opinion. Together, we will explore how, in this history, Native peoples have proven themselves to be resilient and powerful.
Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Thursdays via ZOOM
- Wednesday, January 22, Live lecture 1
- Wednesday, January 29, Live lecture 2
- Wednesday, February 5, Live lecture 3
- Wednesday, February 12, Live lecture 4
- Wednesday, February 19, Live lecture 5
- Wednesday, February 26, Live lecture 6
As this class is delivered by the National Resource Center for OLLIs (NRC) at Northwestern University, you will receive a welcome email from osheronline@northwestern.edu. The email will include your credentials (username & password) as well as a hyperlink to the Osher Online Website through which you will access your course website.
Reclaiming Native Ground
Matt Jennings
Matt Jennings joined the Macon State College (now Middle Georgia State University) faculty in 2007, after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His research interests include Native American history, early American history, and the history of violence. He is currently studying the relationship between Native American peoples and the mounds at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and the intertwined history of tourism and archaeology at the site, as well as homeland-oriented displays in tribal museums in Oklahoma. Matt has also studied Thomas Paine’s interactions with Native Americans and the roots of John Brown’s ideas about violence. His current research includes work with the Acme Brewing Historical Society and Georgia and a study of the Ocmulgee River region during the War of 1812, as well as side trips into pop culture history. He has presented numerous papers, and published several books, including New Worlds of Violence, The Flower Hunter and the People, and Ocmulgee National Monument: A Concise History with Field Notes.