The Choctaws in Oklahoma: From Tribe to Nation, 1855-1970. By Clara Sue Kidwell. (Nor man: University of Oklahoma Press, 2007. xx, 320 pp. $34.95, ISBN 978-0-8061-3826-8.)

Abstract

While the title of the book implies a broad coverage of the Choctaw, the book is actually the second volume of the American Indian Law and Policy series from the University of Oklahoma Press. It is limited to the political and legal processes that resulted in the establishment of the Choctaw nation of Oklahoma. The book provides a nuanced account of the legal and political history of the Choctaw people. It is a story of tenacity and innovation that demonstrates the complexities of the ongoing, dynamic relations between the Choctaw nation and the federal government. The sixteen chapters examine the development of the Choctaw nation through discussions of missions; slavery and abolition; the Civil War; railway construction; allotment and statehood; termination; and self-government. Each chapter describes how concomitant tensions played out in the political realm by affecting both the relations between the Choctaw and the federal government and the divisions and power struggles within the nation. The primary focus is on the efforts of the Choctaw to redress their grievances with the federal government and its failure to fulfill treaty stipulations and guarantees. The author confidently and effectively documents and comments on significant treaties; the actions of various delegations, councils, commissions, and lobbies; pertinent court cases and rulings; and congressional activities that addressed or failed to address Choctaw grievances.