The logo of the Pan-American People's Liberation Party.
(Image by The Pan-American People’s Liberation Party) Details DMCA
Envision a future where the territory now called the United States, along with the other countries in the hemisphere that exist as a result of colonialism, have been converted into a great swath of nations which are once again controlled by the indigenous tribes. Imagine a scenario where U.S. imperialism is defeated once and for all through the abolishment of the U.S. itself, which was created through the imperialist theft of indigenous land and the subsequent slaughter of most of the region's indigenous people.
It can feel challenging to imagine this coming about, because colonial occupation has been the reality throughout the vast majority of the hemisphere for centuries. Yet in instances like Haiti's anti-slavery and anti-colonial revolution of 1804, or Cuba's socialist revolution against a U.S.-backed dictatorship, or the restoration of indigenous rule during Evo Morales' 14-year socialist presidency, cracks in the wall of colonial and capitalist control have appeared. By examining the pre-colonial past, the history of anti-colonial resistance so far, and the present conditions surrounding colonialism and capitalism, I can construct a picture of what an anti-colonial revolution in this hemisphere will look like.
The great civilization that the First Nations were building-and that they should be able to resume building
The pre-colonial nations in the continents now called North and South America were not the sparsely populated, "primitive" societies that colonialist lore portrays them as. There were as many as 112 million Natives in the pre-contact Americas, with around 90% having been killed by disease, violence, and biological warfare in the following centuries. Many of their nations ran on democracy, and far from all being isolated to their own territories, the inhabitants of these nations passed around resources throughout vast distances around the continent. They had made many technological advancements that the Europeans hadn't. And rather than having all lived in tepees as media portrayals suggest, the different indigenous societies had a diverse range of housing.
It's necessary for me to dispel the settler narratives about who the continent's indigenous people were back then, because American culture's ingrained disdain for these societies prevents popular support for decolonization. Our society, particularly the country's communist movement, must recognize that returning sovereignty to all of the indigenous nations is a feasible and necessary way to rectify the injustices against colonized peoples.
By "colonized peoples," I mean not just the indigenous people but the black people. These groups have experienced centuries of genocide as a result of the project to make the continent into a hub for imperialist power and capitalist profits, and an anti-colonial revolution will necessarily include an effort towards restorative justice for both of them. Therefore, the governmental structure that exists in North America after such a revolution will need to consist of the following aspects:
-The abolition of colonial states; the European-created governments occupying indigenous nations must be disbanded.
-The creation of the modern equivalent of the indigenous confederacy that the leader Tecumseh tried to create; after the colonial governments are abolished, their militaries should be seized and put under control of a democratic indigenous confederacy which consists of all the First Nations.
-The creation of an African Autonomous Oblast, where African descendants receive reparations for slavery and an independent African nation. (This territory would be formed after the appropriate cooperation between the First Nations.)
-A First Nations Citizenship program for non-natives, one where settlers who either don't want to be part of the First Nations or aren't eligible for First Nations citizenship are deported to their ancestral homelands. In other words, a removal of the white supremacists who pose a threat of committing violent acts.
-Abolition of all colonial prisons, the creation of a restorative justice system for criminal recidivism, and a re-education campaign where the colonial textbooks are replaced with factual accounts of the indigenous genocide.
-Continental universal healthcare, housing, food, and education, along with a full employment program that conducts ecological restoration, sustainable agriculture, and the building of a renewable energy system. This will only come after the seizure of the means of production from the capitalist class all throughout the former American colonies (which will happen in time as the autonomous First Nations develop towards socialism).
The post-revolutionary arrangement within South America would for the most part be the same, so long as this revolution is also oriented around anti-colonialism.
What the anti-colonial and class struggles within the hemisphere have been able to accomplish so far
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