While most histories of the New Deal focus on industrial workers and Dust Bowl farmers, this episode of The Great Depression turns to the often-overlooked story of Native American communities. Lucas and Luna explore the Indian New Deal, the brainchild of reformer John Collier. As Commissioner of Indian Affairs, Collier pushed through the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, reversing decades of forced assimilation and land allotment under the Dawes Act. The episode delves into the Meriam Report of 1928, which exposed catastrophic poverty and cultural erasure on reservations. It also examines the creation of the Navajo Code Talkers program—born from a Depression-era jobs initiative—and the fierce opposition Collier faced from both white conservatives and some Native leaders like the Navajo Council. The conversation touches on the Indian Civilian Conservation Corps, the establishment of tribal governments under the IRA, and the lasting legacy of this ambitious but controversial experiment in indigenous self-determination. Listeners will come away with a fresh understanding of how the Great Depression reshaped not just American capitalism, but also the relationship between the federal government and the continent's first peoples.

#GreatDepression #NewDeal #IndianNewDeal #JohnCollier #IndianReorganizationAct #DawesAct #MeriamReport #NavajoCodeTalkers #NativeAmericanHistory #BureauOfIndianAffairs #IndianCivilianConservationCorps #TribalSovereignty #1930s #FDR #FederalIndianPolicy #SelfDetermination #History #FexingoHistory #DustBowl #StockMarketCrash

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