Explore how the early United States defined its power over Indian lands and foreign claims, and what that meant for the nation’s unity. This nonfiction work traces the shift from papal and royal grants to a republican authority, showing how both states and the federal government navigated land titles, tribal sovereignty, and the limits of authority.
This volume frames the formation of the Confederacy around the core question of jurisdiction over Indian tribes and the public territory. It explains how competing claims, treaties, and pragmatic compromises shaped the founding-era balance between state prerogatives and central authority.
Readers will gain a clear view of the historical forces that defined boundaries, preemption rights, and the management of indigenous relations as the United States took shape.
- Origins of European title to the Americas, from papal grants to early treaties
- How Congress assumed control of Indian affairs and relations with tribes
- The shift from colonial to national governance over land and boundaries
- How treaties and council actions influenced state borders and federal authority
Ideal for readers of American constitutional development, federalism, and early U.S. history.