Major Contributions to Native American History

After attending an 1879 lecture held by Chief Standing Bear telling of the devastating treatment to the Ponca tribe by the federal government, Helen Hunt Jackson began advocating for Native American rights. She created petitions and raised money for lawsuits. She used her writing skills to compose powerful and convincing articles, poems and books on the topic. Jackson also used her literary talent to write to newspaper editors and even congress. To every member she sent a copy of her book entitled A Century of Dishhonor, a book focused on the promises unfulfilled and treaties disrespected by the federal government at the expense of Native Americans. Many American citizens didn't know of the injustice Native Americans had experienced and Jackson made sure to make it known. One part of the book reads: She gave each congress member a copywith a special message printed on the cover in red ink:In response, and seeing as Jackson was the first woman to hold the position of special commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1882, she was sent by the U.S. Department of Inferior to observe the living conditions of the Mission Indians of Southern California. She reported back that the government would need to amend the situation these people were living in, but it was not acted upon by any officials.

Before her death in 1885, Helen Hunt Jackson sent her last letter. President Grover Cleveland read:The Dawes Severalty Act, which granted land rights to Native Americans, was established in 1887, two years following Jackson's death. It is without question that Helen Hunt Jackson was a great influence in this, and in Native American history as a whole.