"Land of opportunity, land for the huddled masses where would the opportunity have been without the genocide of those Old Guard, bristling Indian tribes?"

This quote by Edward Hoagland is a reflection on the history of the United States and the genocide of Native American people that occurred in order for the nation to end up being the "land of opportunity" it is today. Hoagland is suggesting that without the genocide of the "Old Guard, bristling Indian tribes," the chance that the United States uses would not have been possible. He is indicating that the genocide of Native Americans was an essential evil in order for the nation to become the flourishing nation it is today. Hoagland's quote is a tip of the dark history of the United States and the atrocities that were committed in order for the country to become the "land of chance" it is today. It is a pointer that the success of the United States was developed on the backs of those who were oppressed and eliminated.