Framing Chief Leschi

Narratives and the Politics of Historical Justice

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Native American Studies, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Framing Chief Leschi by Lisa Blee, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lisa Blee ISBN: 9781469612850
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: March 17, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Lisa Blee
ISBN: 9781469612850
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: March 17, 2014
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

In 1855 in the South Puget Sound, war broke out between Washington settlers and Nisqually Indians. A party of militiamen traveling through Nisqually country was ambushed, and two men were shot from behind and fatally wounded. After the war, Chief Leschi, a Nisqually leader, was found guilty of murder by a jury of settlers and hanged in the territory's first judicial execution. But some 150 years later, in 2004, the Historical Court of Justice, a symbolic tribunal that convened in a Tacoma museum, reexamined Leschi's murder conviction and posthumously exonerated him. In Framing Chief Leschi, Lisa Blee uses this fascinating case to uncover the powerful, lasting implications of the United States' colonial past.

Though the Historical Court's verdict was celebrated by Nisqually people and many non-Indian citizens of Washington, Blee argues that the proceedings masked fundamental limits on justice for Indigenous people seeking self-determination. Underscoring critical questions about history and memory, Framing Chief Leschi challenges readers to consider whether liberal legal structures can accommodate competing narratives and account for the legacies of colonialism to promote social justice today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1855 in the South Puget Sound, war broke out between Washington settlers and Nisqually Indians. A party of militiamen traveling through Nisqually country was ambushed, and two men were shot from behind and fatally wounded. After the war, Chief Leschi, a Nisqually leader, was found guilty of murder by a jury of settlers and hanged in the territory's first judicial execution. But some 150 years later, in 2004, the Historical Court of Justice, a symbolic tribunal that convened in a Tacoma museum, reexamined Leschi's murder conviction and posthumously exonerated him. In Framing Chief Leschi, Lisa Blee uses this fascinating case to uncover the powerful, lasting implications of the United States' colonial past.

Though the Historical Court's verdict was celebrated by Nisqually people and many non-Indian citizens of Washington, Blee argues that the proceedings masked fundamental limits on justice for Indigenous people seeking self-determination. Underscoring critical questions about history and memory, Framing Chief Leschi challenges readers to consider whether liberal legal structures can accommodate competing narratives and account for the legacies of colonialism to promote social justice today.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Shenandoah Valley Campaigns, Omnibus E-book by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Heroes of Hell Hole Swamp: Photographs of South Carolina Midwives by Hansel Mieth and W. Eugene Smith by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Complex Justice by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Johann Ludwig Eberhardt and His Salem Clocks by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Advancing Democracy by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Remembering the Modoc War by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Fighting for Atlanta by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Runaway Slave Settlements in Cuba by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book The Divided Family in Civil War America by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book What Is Veiling? by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Yellow Dogs, Hushpuppies, and Bluetick Hounds by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book The Caught Image by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book In the Beginning by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Hazards of the Job by Lisa Blee
Cover of the book Making Something Happen by Lisa Blee
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy