'We the People' - the three most misunderstood words in US history | Mark Charles | TEDxTysons
TEDx Talks・14 minutes read
Mark Charles, a Navajo person, delves into the history of Native American injustices in the United States, questioning the inclusivity of the nation's founding documents and critiquing their white supremacist nature. He calls for a national dialogue on race, gender, and class to address the country's legacy of racism and colonialism.
Insights
- Mark Charles sheds light on the historical injustices faced by indigenous tribes and questions the inclusivity of America's founding documents.
- He emphasizes the need for a national dialogue on race, gender, and class to confront the country's legacy of racism and white supremacy, drawing parallels to Truth and Reconciliation commissions in other nations.
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Recent questions
Who is Mark Charles?
A Navajo person with four clans.
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Summary
00:00
"Navajo Mark Charles challenges America's history"
- Mark Charles introduces himself as a Navajo person, detailing his four clans: syndicated initially, tohe Glenny, syndicated annette, and total cheat me.
- He acknowledges the tribes that originally inhabited the land, emphasizing their history and the injustices they faced.
- Reflecting on President Obama's call for a new politics, Charles questions the true inclusivity of "we the people" in the nation's founding documents.
- Charles delves into the Doctrine of Discovery, a doctrine that dehumanized indigenous peoples and justified colonization.
- He highlights the racial bias ingrained in celebrating Christopher Columbus as the discoverer of America.
- Charles critiques the Declaration of Independence for referring to Native Americans as "merciless Indian savages," revealing the document's white supremacist nature.
- He dissects the Constitution, pointing out its exclusion of women, natives, and the dehumanization of African Americans.
- Charles discusses the Johnson v. McIntosh case, where the Supreme Court upheld the Doctrine of Discovery, reinforcing the dehumanization of natives.
- He scrutinizes a 2005 Supreme Court case involving the Oneida Indian Nation, which upheld the Doctrine of Discovery and denied the tribe's sovereignty over their lands.
- Charles calls for a national dialogue on race, gender, and class, akin to Truth and Reconciliation commissions in other countries, to address the nation's legacy of racism and white supremacy.
