Reviewed by: Heather Hedlund

What is the Doctrine of Discovery? Until a couple of years ago, I had never heard of it. I first learned about it in a TED talk by Mark Charles, and I'll admit his talk was surprising and challenging to me. Unsettling Truths explains the history of the Doctrine of Discovery, how it was used to justify colonization, slavery, and the theft of land from indigenous peoples.

The Doctrine of Discovery emerged from a series of papal bulls issued in the 1450's. The pope granted permission to European Christian monarchs to seize land they "discovered" if it was occupied by non-Christians and to submit those occupants to perpetual slavery. The immediate outcome was the institution of the slave trade from Africa by the Portuguese. It eventually led to the occupation and colonization of the Americas, the transatlantic slave trade, and the theft of land from Native Americans.

What was a new thought or a key takeaway?

I was surprised to learn that the Doctrine of Discovery was cited by the Supreme Court in numerous cases as justification to deny sovereignty and property rights to Native Americans in the 1800's. Even more shocking was learning that the Supreme Court has cited the Doctrine of Discovery as precedent as recently as 2005 in a decision written for the majority by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It showed me how this principle, which so many of us have never even heard of, is embedded in the systems and structures of our government.

Can you share a quote from the book that was meaningful to you?

The conclusion of the book talks about the need for a national truth-telling as a first step towards conciliation. They write, "George Erasmus, an aboriginal leader from the Dene people in Canada says, 'Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share in the same past, there can be no real community. Where community is to be formed, common memory must be created.' The United States of America has a white majority that remembers a history of discovery, opportunity, expansion, and exceptionalism. Meanwhile our communities of color have the lived experiences of stolen lands, broken treaties, slavery, Jim Crow laws, Indian removal, ethnic cleansing, lynchings, boarding schools, segregation, internment camps, mass incarceration, and families separated at our borders. Our country does not have a common memory."

It was certainly true for me that a knowledge of the Doctrine of Discovery was not a part of my common memory of US history. To really begin to figure out how to repair the damage caused by past and present injustices, we must understand root causes like the Doctrine of Discovery.

What action will you take as a result of reading this book?

The authors advocate for a national dialogue on par with the truth and reconciliation commissions that have been instituted in other countries. I will add my voice to calls for such a dialogue. I will also continue to educate myself on the history of Native Americans and the impacts of the Doctrine of Discovery.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about this book?

This is not an easy book to read. It stirred up feelings of both anger (towards those who acted in the past) and defensiveness (as I think about what the implications might be for me). As I process these feelings, I'm trying to be curious instead of dismissing either the feelings or the ideas in the book.