Dr. Robert P. Jones: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy emphasizes the importance of truth-telling and cross-cultural conversations in addressing the legacy of white supremacy and working towards a more equitable future.

Robert P. Jones, President/Founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Dr. Jones serves on the national program committee for the American Academy of Religion. Jones writes a weekly newsletter for those dedicated to the work of truth-telling, repair, and healing from the legacy of white supremacy in American Christianity. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future; White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, which won a 2021 American Book Award; and The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion.

Doctrine of Discovery: The International Law of Colonialism

The idea that God designated America as a new promised land—shaped how five centuries of Europeans would understand the “new” world and the people who populated it. The right to go in and kill, conquer and reduce their persons to perpetual slavery right. Interconnection between land and slavery - enslavement of Africans was the continuation of genocide and dispossession flowing from the first European contact with Native Americans.

Legal  Dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery (doctrineofdiscocery.org)

• First discovery. The first European country to discover lands unknown to other Europeans claimed property and sovereign rights over the lands and native peoples. First discovery, however, was usually considered to have created only an incomplete title.
• Actual occupancy and current possession. To turn first discovery into recognized title, a European country had to actually occupy and possess newly found lands. This was usually done by building forts or settlements. Physical possession had to be accomplished within a reasonable amount of time after the first discovery to create a complete title.
• Religion was a significant aspect of the Doctrine of Discovery. Under Discovery, non-Christian peoples were not deemed to have the same rights to land, sovereignty, and self-determination as Christians.
• Civilization. The European ideas of superiority based on the belief God had directed them to bring so-called civilized ways, education, and religion to Indigenous Peoples and to exercise paternalism and guardianship powers over them.

From Columbus Day to Indigenous People’s Day: Recognize the significance and need for a broader understanding of American history that includes the contributions and perspectives of Indigenous and African-American peoples. Watch Here: https://youtu.be/3TxDvMxUWnE

 

Episode giveaways:

• Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice https://youtu.be/roSleqrgSKw?si=Lg69vDF25HfQETuO
• Philip P. Arnold and Sandra Bigtree, “S03E01: The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Doctrine of Christian Discovery an interview with Robert P. Jones,” Mapping the Doctrine of Discovery (Podcast), October 25, 2023. https://podcast.doctrineofdiscovery.org/season3/episode-01/
• The Ten Legal Dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery: The International Law of Colonialism https://doctrineofdiscovery.org/the-doctrine-of-discovery-the-international-law-of-colonialism/