This Google Site contains a series of primary and secondary sources on the history Native American voting rights in Massachusetts and the United States.

A Note on Language: We chose to use the word Native American to collectively refer to the people indigenous to the land that is now the United States. In specific cases, we used people’s tribal affiliation. You will also see the word “Indian” used throughout this collection, as many U.S. legal documents — historical and contemporary — refer to Native Americans as Indians.

Each page consists of a contextual paragraph that provides background information for the document(s) and excerpts from one or more primary documents. Some of the documents have been edited for length. As you analyze the documents, consider both the original source and its author’s point of view. The companion Google Form contains questions about the documents.

The Documents:

Document A: The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, October 25, 1780

Document B: Hearings held by the Joint Special Commission on Indian Affairs in Mashpee, Massachusetts, “Report on the Indians of the Commonwealth,” June 8, 1869 from “The Massachusetts Indian Enfranchisement Act: Ethnic Contest in Historical Context, 1849-1869” by Ann Marie Plane and Gregory Button

Document C: Excerpt from “The Massachusetts Indian Enfranchisement Act: Ethnic Contest in Historical Context, 1849-1869” by Ann Marie Plane and Gregory Button

Document D: Massachusetts Indian Enfranchisement and Allotment Act, June 23, 1869

Document E: Indian Citizenship Act (Snyder Act), June 2, 1924

Document F: WPA interview featuring Henry Mitchell, a Native canoe maker and a resident of the state of Maine, ca. 1938-9