Abstract
No clearer attempt to break down human dignity exists than the use of a mathematical quantification of the degree of Indian blood. This fractional measurement objectifies Native American people, leaving them estranged from full development and matriculation in mainstream American society. As stated by T. R. Garth (1930) in “Race Psychology,” “Any disposition on our part to withhold from some race the right to a free and full development must be taken as an indication of rationalization on account of race prejudice, and such an attitude is inexcusable in an intelligent populace.” The philosophical framework of denial of free and full development of society and culture is apparent in the US government’s use of blood quantum to define Native Americans.
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Pearson, E.M. (2017). Native American Injustice and the Mathematics of Blood Quantum. In: Sieh, E., McGregor, J. (eds) Human Dignity. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56005-6_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56005-6_18
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