Summary Of Black White And Indian

In Black, White, and Indian: Race and the Unmaking of an American Family, Saunt explains how the Grayson family tree became a tale of avoiding, dismissal, and denying a part of ancestry as well as family history. In a broader context, it can be traced to America’s denial of being related to African American slaves. As well as the idea that many families ancestors slept with their slaves and created a family tree that connect families together. Saunt mentions in a broader context of brother vs brother, white supremacy, the work that occurred to keep American Indians with African ancestry from having rights, as well as the denial that some families go through.
Saunt has ten chapters that explain the family history of the Grayson’s, which in …show more content…
In the book it tells of how during the Civil War, several Grayson family members were on opposing sides. I think that this coincides with the idea the Grayson’s had of us vs them. This was first seen when William and his family moved out west, Katy and her family followed and they didn’t make contact with one another. Also, with the theme of white vs Indian vs African American. It seemed as though if one could get away with being white, you did it because it gave you a greater chance of getting an education, job, and avoid discrimination. Where as if you could not or where or had children that looked more African American then you were discriminated against, faced slave-catching raids, as well as being poor. What is fascinating though is that although Katy’s grandson George Washington Grayson, was one of the one’s who were in charge of pushing for limitations on Creek Indians with African ancestry. As well as being racist to his own people, as well as denying the fact that he had relatives that had African ancestry, or denying that he had African Ancestry as well. Which was a very common phenomenon among the South as