Episode Nine: Amerindians and the Law, Part I

In episode nine we will explore the fascinating but often neglected topic of the influence of Amerindians on the law. We will discuss why the English gained supremacy along the North American coast at the expense of other European powers; how "virgin soil epidemics" devastated indigenous peoples throughout the New World; the starkly different world views concerning the possession of land and concepts of ownership; the Amerindian method of dispute resolution and finally the sad legacy of early military conflicts between the new comers and native peoples.