Inherent in the myth we’ve been taught is an embrace of settler colonialism and genocide.
-- Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (Introduction)

Importance: This statement in the Introduction section serves as a type of thesis statement that helps to guide the book's goals and content. One of Mainstream views of American history largely dismiss or ignore the fact that the existence of the United States is predicated upon a centuries-long genocide against Native American nations. One of Dunbar-Ortiz's main motivations for writing this book is to detail the truths of this genocide and the ways in which that legacy of genocide defines modern America.

By the time of the European invasions, Indigenous people had occupied and shaped every part of the Americas...
-- Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (chapter 1)

Importance: In this chapter, the author seeks to dispel the myth that Native American civilizations were small, insignificant, and primitive. As this chapter shows, Native American nations were large, complex, and advanced. They thoroughly cultivated the...