A Conscientious Critic: Lewis Henry Morgan on Native American Policy

Courtesy of Rare Books, Special Collection and Preservation, University of Rochester.

Authored by Erin Dietrick.

Throughout the 1860s, Lewis Henry Morgan had a particular interest in being appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the position at the head of the federal Office of Indian Affairs. Motivated by his intense disapproval of the office and its then current staff, Morgan sought the position as a way to ameliorate relations between Native Americans and the US government and to influence policy toward Native people who had been displaced and relocated. In a letter to President Abraham Lincoln dated December 3rd, 1862, Morgan writes: “I have no hesitation in saying that the present system is a total failure, a failure so complete as to be disgraceful to the government.”

Morgan received many letters of recommendation for this position. A particularly notable example is this letter from Peter Wilson, Grand Sachem of the Iroquois, to President Abraham Lincoln. In this letter, Wilson notes the longstanding friendship between the Iroquois and Morgan, and the resulting capability of Morgan to represent the Indians with their best interest at heart. Wilson takes issue with the government system of Indian Affairs, which wholly disregards the Native population. He states: “While the changes and revolutions of the political world are going on: the red man, your predecessors, are tossed by the commotions produced by the changes, and like the debris of the sea, are unheeded and noticed.” He thus argues for a leader who will recognize and respect the Indians: “The appointment has heretofore been made without consulting the wishes of the people who are the most interested: hence often times a man is appointed who has no sympathy with the Indians nor knowledge.” Given Morgan’s involvement within the Iroquois, Wilson believes Morgan possesses the knowledge and friendship of the Native population necessary to best represent them in the government. Although Morgan ultimately never won the nomination for this position, he continued to advocate for what he regarded as the best interests of Native Americans concerning United States government policy. Had Morgan received the nomination and won the position, his ultimate goal would have been to elevate Native Americans out of their state of “barbarism” and to assimilate them into the “civilized” white population—a goal he thought would benefit the larger American society.