When the team here at First Name Basis was doing the research for our recent episode “Alcatraz: An Untold Story of Indigenous Resistance,” we came across the story of the Tammany Society — and we knew right away that story was too wild not to share!

The Tammany Society — also known as the Tammany Hall or the Columbian Order — was organized in the late 1780s right alongside the founding of the United States. It was a group of white men who were influencing the politics in New York at the time and then spread out geographically from there. 

Their story is one rampant with cultural appropriation that directly relates to injustices and racism we still see in this country today. And to make the story even more bonkers, one of the most notable members of the society is someone who has become a household name in recent years.

“Pardon me. Are you Aaron Burr, sir?”

The twists, turns and wild connections in this story are something you’re not going to want to miss. In this episode, we’ll tell you more about:

• The origins of the Tammany Society.
• How it’s creation was in response to the creation of the Society of the Cincinnati (Spoiler alert: Alexander Hamilton enters in the story here too)
• The Tammany Society’s many instances of appropriation of Indigenous culture.
• A look at a specific example of the Tammany Society’s appropriation that we still see today (Spoiler alert #2: It’s the Atlanta Braves)

 

Get your Voting Action Plan

Whether it’s for a primary election or a general election, if you‘re voting for your local school board or president of the United States, being an informed voter is crucial — and takes more effort than just skimming headlines or reading one-off articles on social media.

We’re here to help! Head over to firstnamebasis.org/vote your to have the First Name Basis Voting Action Plan sent straight to your inbox!

 

Get your FREE Halloween costume download

Let us help you avoid cultural appropriation this Halloween with this FREE DOWNLOAD! We’ve created a printable decision tree to help you determine whether a costume falls into the “cultural appropriation” category. It’s a great resource for helping you decide and for sparking conversations with your kiddos about what makes a costume appropriation or not. Head over to firstnamebasis.org/costumes to get your copy sent straight to your inbox!

 

Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced In The Episode 

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 28: “How to Become an Informed Voter”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 7, Episode 8: “Culture Is Not a Costume: Cultural Appropriation and Halloween”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 16: “How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 1: “Your Top 5 Cultural Appropriation Questions Answered”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 2: “Real Talk: Cultural Appropriation and White Supremacy”

“Tammany Hall,” Britannica 

“Tammany Hall Braves Honor Nation’s Birth: Dedicate New Wigwam as Part of Tradition to Celebrate Fourth,” July 5, 1929, news article

“Sachems & Sinners An Informal History of Tammany Hall,” Time

“The History of Tammany Hall,” by Gustavus Myers

“Native Americas: Tribal Leaders: Head Chief Tamanend the Affable of the Lenape,” The History Files

“The Cincinnati: A Society That's In the Blood,” by Tim Page, Washington Post

“Society of the Cincinnati,” Wikipedia

Society of the Cincinnati website

Applying for Membership, The Society of the Cincinnati website

“Alexander Hamilton’s American Revolution,” The American Revolution Institute

“Surrogate Americans: Masculinity, Masquerade, and the Formation of a National Identity,” Carroll Smith-Rosenberg

“Society of St. Tammany,” Encyclopedia.org

“Sachem,” Online Etymology Dictionary

“Tammany Hall,” Wikipedia

“Fraternal Purpose In The Establishment Of Tammany’s ‘American Museum,’” Timothy Winkle

“The Timeline History of Celebrating (and Not Celebrating) Columbus Day,” by Rebeca Coleman, Smithsonian Magazine

“Tammany: The Indian as Rhetorical Surrogate,” Alan Leander MacGregor

“Becoming the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves,” by Bill Felber, Call to the Pen

“Ward Wants His Team to be Called the ‘Boston Braves,’” Boston Globe article from Dec. 21, 1911

First Name Basis Untold Stories Episodes

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 1, Episode 13: “The Untold Story of Thanksgiving”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 1: “The Untold Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 2, Episode 6: “The Untold Story of Dr. Seuss”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 5, Episode 7: “The Untold Story of Rosa Parks”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 3, Episode 14: “The Untold Story of Fried Chicken”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 4, Episode 7: “The Untold Story of Christopher Columbus”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 6, Episode 8: “The Untold Story of the Star Spangled Banner”

First Name Basis Podcast, Season 7, Episode 7: “Alcatraz: An Untold Story of Indigenous Resistance”

Song Credit: “Sleeper” by Steve Adams” and “Dive Down” by VYEN