Cherokee author and journalist Rebecca Nagle said the Declaration of Independence contains racist language targeting Native peoples [1, 2].

Nagle's critique comes as the U.S. approaches the 250th anniversary [3] of the document's signing. By highlighting the specific phrasing used by the founders, she challenges the traditional narrative that the nation was established solely as a pure democracy.

Nagle said the last grievance in the Declaration of Independence describes Indigenous people as "merciless Indian savages" [1]. The original 1776 text describes these "merciless Indian Savages" as having a rule of warfare characterized by the "undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions" [5].

According to Nagle, these three words [4] serve as evidence that the founders were building an empire rather than just a democratic republic [1, 2]. She said that the inclusion of such language in a foundational document underscores the imperial nature of early U.S. policy toward Native populations [1, 2].

The Declaration of Independence was originally signed on July 4, 1776 [3], in Philadelphia [3, 5]. While the document is celebrated for its proclamations of liberty and equality, Nagle said that these ideals did not extend to the Indigenous peoples mentioned in the grievances [1, 2].

Nagle's comments were shared on June 30 [2, 3], ahead of the upcoming July 4 celebrations. She said that the presence of this language in the nation's establishing documents continues to impact how Native Americans contend with the country's founding words [3].

“"The last grievance in the Declaration of Independence is about 'merciless Indian savages.'"”

The focus on the 'merciless Indian savages' phrase during the 250th anniversary suggests a growing movement to reconcile U.S. national identity with its history of colonialism. By framing the founding as the creation of an empire, Nagle shifts the conversation from a celebration of democratic ideals to a critique of the systemic exclusion and dehumanization of Native peoples embedded in the nation's legal origin.