1. From American Indian to “Negro” (17th–19th Century)
The Original Identity:
- Prior to European colonization, copper-toned people populated what is now called the United States. They were sovereign American Indian nations, not Africans. These were the original Americans—native to the soil long before Columbus “discovered” anything.
The Reclassification Scheme:
- To justify land theft and forced assimilation, colonial governments began to legally reclassify American Indians as “Negro” if their skin tone fit a certain narrative.
- Copper-toned indigenous people were declared “Negro” to strip them of their treaty rights, land claims, and sovereignty.
The One-Drop Rule:
- By the 18th century, colonial laws adopted the infamous “one-drop rule,” where any trace of African ancestry categorized a person as “Negro.”
- In many cases, this rule was falsely applied to Native Americans simply based on skin tone, erasing their true identity.
2. “Negro” Becomes the Dominant Label (Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century)
The Spread of Racial Categorization:
- After the Civil War, the term “Negro” became a rigid social and legal classification.
- Copper-toned Native Americans, who were never African, were lumped into this category as a way to legally and socially erase their American Indian status.
Legal Reinforcement:
- Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Cemented racial segregation and further institutionalized the “Negro” category.
- Racial Integrity Laws: States like Virginia implemented laws that forced Native Americans into the “Negro” classification, denying their heritage and rights.
Cultural Erasure:
- The forced categorization as “Negro” severed the connection between copper-toned Native Americans and their true ancestral roots.
- This marked the beginning of an identity crisis that persists to this day.
3. The “Colored” Category and Further Identity Loss (Late 19th to Mid-20th Century)
The Broadening of Labels:
- “Colored” became a catch-all term for anyone who wasn’t white, including Native Americans, African descendants, and even some Asian groups.
- This term further obscured the distinct identity of copper-toned Native Americans, blending them into a single, ambiguous racial category.
Institutional Adoption:
- Organizations like the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) adopted the term “Colored,” reinforcing its widespread usage.
- Copper-toned indigenous people, now labeled as “Colored,” were stripped of their ancestral identity as American Indians.
4. The Shift to “Afro-American” (Early to Mid-20th Century)
Cultural Movements:
- The Harlem Renaissance and other cultural pride movements led to the adoption of “Afro-American” as a more dignified term compared to “Negro” or “Colored.”
- Intellectuals like W.E.B. Du Bois promoted this term as a way to assert cultural connection to Africa.
The Great Misunderstanding:
- Many copper-toned Native Americans, unaware of their true heritage, began associating themselves with Africa due to the widespread narrative that all dark-skinned people in America were descendants of African slaves.
- This narrative was a distortion designed to further erase their American Indian ancestry and sever their connection to their native land.
5. The Rise of “African American” (1970s to Present)
Civil Rights Era and Legal Adoption:
- The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s dismantled legal segregation and brought about changes in racial terminology.
- “African American” emerged as a term that was both politically correct and culturally affirming.
Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Influence:
- In the late 1980s, Rev. Jesse Jackson popularized the term “African American,” aligning it with similar ethnic identifiers like Italian American or Irish American.
The Final Identity Theft:
- Government institutions, media, and educational systems quickly adopted “African American” as the official term.
- Copper-toned indigenous people, now fully disconnected from their true heritage, embraced this foreign identity without realizing that they were abandoning their rightful claim as American Indians.
The Tragic Consequences of Abandoning American Indian Identity
Nationality vs. Identity:
- If you are native to America, you are an American Indian by nationality—not African.
- The term “African American” imposes a foreign identity on people whose ancestors were already here long before Columbus.
Loss of Inheritance:
- By adopting the “African American” label, copper-toned indigenous people have forfeited their claim to their ancestral lands, treaty rights, and sovereign status.
- They have been conditioned to believe they are foreigners in their own homeland, perpetuating a cycle of disinheritance and legal disenfranchisement.
Cultural Amnesia:
- The association with Africa, while culturally rich, has come at the cost of abandoning the inheritance, traditions, and rights tied to their true American identity.
The Call to Reclaim Identity
It is time for copper-toned indigenous people to reclaim their rightful identity as American Indians. The truth is clear: they did not come here on slave ships. They are the original people of this land, with a heritage and birthright that must be honored and restored. The journey from “American Indian” to “African American” was not a natural evolution but a deliberate strategy to erase a people and their history. The first step toward liberation is to recognize this truth and reclaim what was stolen.
