A very fine first edition of one of the most important 19th century publications exposing the United States' Government's systematic oppression of Native Americans. Her work was, in many ways, for Native Americans, what Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Wilberforce, and Anthony Benezet's works were for black slaves. Very desirable. 

H. H. [Helen Jackson Hunt]. A Century of Dishonor. A Sketch of the United States Government's Dealings with Some of the Indian Tribes. New York. Harper & Brothers. 1881. x + 457pp + [6] adverts. 

The classic of the study of oppression of American Indian tribes up until the time and a watershed work. It includes chapters on The Delawares, Cherokees, Nez Perces, Sioux, Poncas, Winnebagoes, and the Cheyennes and covers in painful detail The Sand Creek Massacre and others, preserves extensive extracts from the Report of the Commission sent to meet the Sioux Chief Sitting Bull, and includes accounts of woodcutting by Indians in Dakota, the Walla Walla Massacre, and more.

"In 1879, while visiting in Boston, Jackson attended a reception for representatives of the Ponca and Omaha Indian tribes who were touring the East in an attempt to arouse public indignation over the confiscation of their tribal lands by the U.S. government. Jackson had never shown any interest in reform movements, nor had her experiences in the West sparked any concern for Indian rights, but suddenly she was transformed… Her dedication to the cause of justice for Indian tribes resulted in a well-researched exposé of Indian mistreatment published in 1881 as A Century of Dishonor" (DNB). "Her greatest achievement was her pioneering work for Indian rights [A Century of Dishonor] … a copy of which Jackson presented to every U.S. Congressman. This is an impassioned account of the various tribes since white contact, beginning with a discussion on the rights of sovereignty and occupancy, and ending with massacres of native peoples. It shocked the public, and within a year, the powerful Indian Rights Association was born, followed by the Dawes Act of 1884"

A very good copy, bound in cloth, generally solid, with bright and clean pages, ffep signature a bit roughly removed, and minor ex library markings.