Angie Debo
Encyclopedia
Angie Elbertha Debo was an American historian who wrote 13 books and hundreds of articles about Native American
and Oklahoma
history. After a long career marked by difficulties (ascribed both to her gender and to the controversial content of some of her books), she was acclaimed as Oklahoma's "greatest historian" and acknowledged as "an authority on Native American history, a visionary, and a historical heroine in her own right."
when she was nine years old. Her family settled in the rural community of Marshall
, where Debo would live, on and off, for the rest of her life. She earned a teacher's certificate and began teaching when she was 16. Because Marshall did not have a high school until 1910, Debo did not receive her high school diploma until 1913, when she was already 23 years old.
, where she earned an A.B. degree in history in 1918. She taught history at Enid High School
for four years before taking time to study at the University of Chicago
, where she earned a master's degree in international relations in 1924 (women were not allowed to major in history). Her master's thesis (co-authored with her thesis supervisor J. Fred Rippy) was published in 1924 as part of the Smith College
Studies in History, under the title The Historical Background of the American Policy of Isolationism; The historian Manfred Jonas has written that this was the first "scholarly literature" on the subject of American isolationism
.
Despite this early success, Debo said that she found it difficult to obtain a teaching position; most college history departments at the time would not consider hiring a woman. She taught at West Texas State Teachers College
in Canyon, Texas
and was curator of its Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
, while working towards a Ph.D. in history from the University of Oklahoma, which she received in 1933.
on the Choctaw
Tribe. It received the John H. Dunning Prize of the American Historical Association
. University of Oklahoma Press
director Savoie Lottinville later described this book as a "pioneering effort" in Native American history that gave the effect of "seeing events from inside the tribe, rather than from a purely Anglo-American perspective."
were systematically deprived of the lands and resources granted to them by treaty, after their forced removal
from the southeastern United States. Debo wrote that these treaties were supposed to protect the tribal lands "as long as the waters run, as long as the grass grows"; but, after the 1887 Dawes Act
enacted a policy of private ownership that was eventually forced on the tribes, the system was manipulated to swindle the Indians out of their property. In the words of the historian Ellen Fitzpatrick, Debo's book "advanced a crushing analysis of the corruption, moral depravity, and criminal activity that underlay white administration and execution of the allotment policy."
These charges were controversial; many of the responsible parties were still alive, and the book encountered considerable resistance. The University of Oklahoma Press withdrew as publisher, and Debo's academic career was sidetracked. She took a position writing for the Federal Writers Project in Oklahoma, but her work for the travel guide Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State was extensively revised without her permission.
And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes was finally published in 1940. The former director of the University of Oklahoma Press, Joseph A. Brandt
, moved to the Princeton University Press
and published the book there. The book is now described as a classic and an influence for writers of Native American history from Oliver LaFarge to Vine Deloria, Jr.
and Larry McMurtry
.
of Frederick Jackson Turner
, presenting a history of westward expansion based not on the ideal of manifest destiny
but on the exploitation of the Native Americans. Debo served on the board of directors of the Association on American Indian Affairs, and of the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
.
She also continued to publish extensively. She wrote one fictional work, Prairie City, the Story of an American Community, based on the history of her hometown Marshall. She finished her last book, Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place at the age of 85.
Debo died a few weeks later, on February 21, 1988 at the age of 98. She left her papers, books, and literary rights to Oklahoma State University, where she had worked as a librarian and researcher.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
history. After a long career marked by difficulties (ascribed both to her gender and to the controversial content of some of her books), she was acclaimed as Oklahoma's "greatest historian" and acknowledged as "an authority on Native American history, a visionary, and a historical heroine in her own right."
Childhood
Born in Kansas, Angie Debo moved with her family in a covered wagon to the Oklahoma TerritoryOklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.-Organization:Oklahoma Territory's...
when she was nine years old. Her family settled in the rural community of Marshall
Marshall, Oklahoma
Marshall is a rural town in Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and is an outer suburb/exurb on the northern edge of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 258 at the 2000 census. The population for the Marshall U.S...
, where Debo would live, on and off, for the rest of her life. She earned a teacher's certificate and began teaching when she was 16. Because Marshall did not have a high school until 1910, Debo did not receive her high school diploma until 1913, when she was already 23 years old.
Education and early career
She soon went on to the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, where she earned an A.B. degree in history in 1918. She taught history at Enid High School
Enid High School
Enid High School is a public secondary school in Enid, Oklahoma operated by the Enid Public Schools school district. With a student body of about 1,700 in grades 9-12, Enid High School has about a 65 percent matriculation rate...
for four years before taking time to study at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where she earned a master's degree in international relations in 1924 (women were not allowed to major in history). Her master's thesis (co-authored with her thesis supervisor J. Fred Rippy) was published in 1924 as part of the Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
Studies in History, under the title The Historical Background of the American Policy of Isolationism; The historian Manfred Jonas has written that this was the first "scholarly literature" on the subject of American isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
.
Despite this early success, Debo said that she found it difficult to obtain a teaching position; most college history departments at the time would not consider hiring a woman. She taught at West Texas State Teachers College
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
in Canyon, Texas
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
and was curator of its Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
, while working towards a Ph.D. in history from the University of Oklahoma, which she received in 1933.
The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic
Debo's dissertation, published as The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic, examined the impact of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
on the Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
Tribe. It received the John H. Dunning Prize of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
. University of Oklahoma Press
University of Oklahoma Press
The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. It has been in operation for over seventy-five years, and was the first university press established in the American Southwest. It was founded by William Bennett Bizzell, the fifth president of the University of...
director Savoie Lottinville later described this book as a "pioneering effort" in Native American history that gave the effect of "seeing events from inside the tribe, rather than from a purely Anglo-American perspective."
And Still the Waters Run
Debo's next book was more controversial. Completed in 1936, And Still the Waters Run detailed how Oklahoma's Five Civilized TribesFive Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
were systematically deprived of the lands and resources granted to them by treaty, after their forced removal
Indian Removal
Indian removal was a nineteenth century policy of the government of the United States to relocate Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river...
from the southeastern United States. Debo wrote that these treaties were supposed to protect the tribal lands "as long as the waters run, as long as the grass grows"; but, after the 1887 Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
enacted a policy of private ownership that was eventually forced on the tribes, the system was manipulated to swindle the Indians out of their property. In the words of the historian Ellen Fitzpatrick, Debo's book "advanced a crushing analysis of the corruption, moral depravity, and criminal activity that underlay white administration and execution of the allotment policy."
These charges were controversial; many of the responsible parties were still alive, and the book encountered considerable resistance. The University of Oklahoma Press withdrew as publisher, and Debo's academic career was sidetracked. She took a position writing for the Federal Writers Project in Oklahoma, but her work for the travel guide Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State was extensively revised without her permission.
And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes was finally published in 1940. The former director of the University of Oklahoma Press, Joseph A. Brandt
Joseph A. Brandt
Joseph A. Brandt was the sixth president of the University of Oklahoma.Brandt received his college degree from the University of Oklahoma, making him the first alumni to become president of the University of Oklahoma. Following his degree at Oklahoma, he went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and...
, moved to the Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
-Further reading:* "". Artforum International, 2005.-External links:* * * * *...
and published the book there. The book is now described as a classic and an influence for writers of Native American history from Oliver LaFarge to Vine Deloria, Jr.
Vine Deloria, Jr.
Vine Deloria, Jr. was an American Indian author, theologian, historian, and activist. He was widely known for his book Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto , which helped generate national attention to Native American issues in the same year as the Alcatraz-Red Power Movement...
and Larry McMurtry
Larry McMurtry
Larry Jeff McMurtry is an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work is predominantly set in either the old West or in contemporary Texas...
.
Later career
Although Debo "never found a permanent position in an academic history department," and for a time after publication of And Still the Waters Run, she was barred from teaching in Oklahoma, in her later years she received increasing acclaim and recognition. Her work was seen as a rebuttal to the Frontier ThesisFrontier Thesis
The Frontier Thesis, also referred to as the Turner Thesis, is the argument advanced by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 that the origin of the distinctive egalitarian, democratic, aggressive, and innovative features of the American character has been the American frontier experience...
of Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner
Frederick Jackson Turner was an American historian in the early 20th century. He is best known for his essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History", whose ideas are referred to as the Frontier Thesis. He is also known for his theories of geographical sectionalism...
, presenting a history of westward expansion based not on the ideal of manifest destiny
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. It was used by Democrat-Republicans in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico; the concept was denounced by Whigs, and fell into disuse after the mid-19th century.Advocates of...
but on the exploitation of the Native Americans. Debo served on the board of directors of the Association on American Indian Affairs, and of the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
She also continued to publish extensively. She wrote one fictional work, Prairie City, the Story of an American Community, based on the history of her hometown Marshall. She finished her last book, Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place at the age of 85.
Honors and legacy
- Her last book received an Western WranglerBronze WranglerThe Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature.The awards were first presented in 1961...
award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center (now called the National Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseumNational Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseumThe National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
). - 1950 - Debo was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame
- 1984 - She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of FameOklahoma Women's Hall of FameOklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma; who serve or have served as role models to other...
in 1984. - She received honorary degrees from Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest UniversityWake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
and Phillips UniversityPhillips UniversityPhillips University was a private, coeducational institution of higher education located in Enid, Oklahoma, United States, from 1906 to 1998. It was affiliated with the Christian Church . It included an undergraduate college and a graduate seminary...
. - She received awards from the American Historical AssociationAmerican Historical AssociationThe American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
, Western History AssociationWestern History AssociationThe Western History Association was organized in 1961 at Santa Fe, New Mexico, to "promote the study of the North American West in its varied aspects and broadest sense." Included in the field of study are the American West and western Canada. The Western History Association is headquartered at...
, American Indian Historians Association, and American Association for State and Local HistoryAmerican Association for State and Local HistoryThe American Association for State and Local History is a non-profit association for state and local history, with a primary focus on museums and historical societies. It is headquartered in Nashville, TN, and has over 6,300 members...
, among many others. - 1985, the State of Oklahoma commissioned an official portrait of Debo by artist Charles Banks WilsonCharles Banks WilsonCharles Banks Wilson is an American artist. Wilson was born in Arkansas in 1918, his family eventually moving to Miami, Oklahoma, where he spent his childhood...
; it was placed in the rotunda of the Oklahoma State CapitolOklahoma State CapitolThe Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature, and the meeting place of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. The present structure includes a dome that was...
building in Oklahoma CityOklahoma cityOklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. - 1987 - The American Historical Association gave her its Award for Scholarly Distinction. Governor Henry BellmonHenry BellmonHenry Louis "Harry" Bellmon was an American Republican politician from Oklahoma. He was a member of the Oklahoma Legislature, the 18th and 23rd Governor of Oklahoma , and a two-term United States Senator.-Service in World War II:Bellmon was born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma and graduated from Billings...
presented this award to her at a January 1988 ceremony in Marshall.
Debo died a few weeks later, on February 21, 1988 at the age of 98. She left her papers, books, and literary rights to Oklahoma State University, where she had worked as a librarian and researcher.
Posthumous recognition
- 1994, Edmond Public Schools named an elementary school after her.
- 1997 - Debo received the Ralph EllisonRalph EllisonRalph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
Award from the Oklahoma Center for the Book. - She is one of the 21 Oklahoma writers featured on the state's official Literary Map of Oklahoma.
- 1988 - Debo was the subject of an episode entitled "Indians, Outlaws, and Angie Debo", of the PBS series The American ExperienceAmerican ExperienceAmerican Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
. - 2000 - The University of Oklahoma Press published a biography of Debo written by Shirley A. Leckie and entitled Angie Debo: Pioneering Historian.
- She has also been the subject of numerous monographs and articles.
- 2007 - In his inaugural address, Oklahoma Governor Brad HenryBrad HenryCharles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
called Debo "our state's greatest historian." He quoted Debo's 1949 observation about Oklahoma's unusual history:
Oklahoma is more than just another state. It is a lens in which the long rays of time are focused into the brightest of light. In its magnifying clarity, dim facets of the American character stand more clearly revealed. For in Oklahoma all the experiences that went into the making of the nation have been speeded up. Here all the American traits have been intensified. The one who can interpret Oklahoma can grasp the meaning of America in the modern world.
- 2010 - The Stillwater Public Library in Stillwater, Oklahoma dedicated a bronze statue of Angie Debo on Nov. 18, 2010. Created by local artist, Phyllis Mantik, the statue depicts a young Angie Debo sitting on a rock with several books by her side. The artist chose a young Angie Debo to focus on her character and highlight that at an early age she chose the life of a scholar rather than what was expected of a woman of her time. To highlight Debo's importance to Oklahoma's Native American Tribes, the base of the statue is surrounded by the seals of Oklahoma's 38 federally recognized Native American Tribes. The state seal of Oklahoma sits on top of the base. Near the statue is a plaque describing Angie Debo's life and her importance to the community, the state and the nation.
Books
Following is a list of books written or edited by Angie Debo:- The Historical Background of the American Policy of Isolation, by J. Fred Rippy & Angie Debo (Northhampton, Mass.: Smith College Studies in History, 1924).
- The Rise and Fall of the Choctaw Republic (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1934, 2nd edition, 1961), ISBN 0585198187.
- And Still the Waters Run: The Betrayal of the Five Civilized Tribes (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1940; new edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1984), ISBN 0691046158.
- Oklahoma: A Guide to the Sooner State, edited by Angie Debo and John M. Oskison (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1941).
- The Road to Disappearance: A History of the Creek Indians (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1941; new edition, 1979), ISBN 0806115327.
- Tulsa: From Creek Town to Oil Capital (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1943).
- Prairie City: The Story of an American Community (New York: Knopf, 1944; new edition, Tulsa: Council Oak Books, 1986; new edition, Norman: University Press of Oklahoma, 1998), ISBN 0806120665.
- Oklahoma: Foot-Loose and Fancy-Free. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1949; new edition, 1987, ISBN 0806120665.
- The Five Civilized Tribes of Oklahoma: A Report on Social and Economic Conditions (Philadelphia: Indian Rights Association, 1951).
- The Cowman's Southwest: Being the Reminiscences of Oliver Nelson, Freighter, Camp Cook, Cowboy, Frontiersman in Kansas, Indian Territory, Texas, and Oklahoma, 1878–1893, by Oliver Nelson, edited by Angie Debo, The Western Frontiersman Series, 4 (Glendale, Ca.: A.H. Clark Co., 1953; new edition, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1986), ISBN 0803283563.
- History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Natchez Indians, by Horatio B. Cushman, edited by Angie Debo (Stillwater, Ok.: Redlands Press, 1962; new edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999), ISBN 0806131276.
- A History of the Indians of the United States (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970), ISBN 0806118881.
- Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1976), ISBN 0806118288.
- With Five Reservations, by Dell O'Hara, edited by Angie Debo and Harold H. Leake (Aurora, Mo.: Creekside Publications, 1986).
External links
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Debo, Angie
- Angie Debo Correspondence at the Newberry Library