The American Revolution wasn’t just a fight for liberty. It was also a sprawling conflict with Indigenous nations over who would control North America. To stake its claim, the United States was willing to commit genocide. 

This is episode 3 of First America, a new show about how America’s current moment is 250 years in the making. Indigenous author and host Rebecca Nagle talks to Maggie Blackhawk (Ojibwe) about how our country’s early treatment of Native Americans set a template for authoritarianism in the United States. 

There are more episodes in the First America season which we are not sharing with you here. Find the rest of the series wherever you get podcasts.