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Standing Bear Is a Person: The True Story of a Native American's Quest for Justice
Standing Bear Is a Person The True Story of a Native American's Quest for Justice Author:Stephen Dando-Collins The only book about the landmark trial of the first Native American to be recognized legally as a person-"an eloquent reminder of a fight well fought."-Kirkus In a federal courtroom in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1879, Standing Bear, clan chief of the small and peaceful Ponca tribe, was in court demanding the same basic right that white American... more »s enjoyed-the right to be recognized legally as a human being. The compelling, behind-the-scenes story of that landmark court case, and the subsequent reverberations of the judge's ruling across nineteenth-century America is told in Stephen Dando-Collin's "brisk and evocative account" (Kirkus). It is a story of memorable Old West characters who joined to fight for Standing Bear and paved his way to the courthouse-the former Indian-fighting Army general who changed sides to stand with Standing Bear, the crusading Midwestern newspaper editor who had once been a gun-toting frontier preacher, and the "most beautiful Indian maiden of her time," Bright Eyes. Full of colorful characters, battles of legal wits, and the twists and turns of a cause in search of an audience, Standing Bear Is a Person is a captivating read. "Dando-Collins captures the full drama of Standing Bear's struggle, which culminates in a riveting courtroom scene...fascinating." -Booklist« less