"To illustrate to the Indians the advantages the white race had in the telephone I divided a body of warriors from Sitting Bull's camp into two parties and had them talk to each other over the telephone line"
About this Quote
A chilling little scene of pedagogy-as-domination: Nelson A. Miles doesn’t describe “communication” so much as he stages a conversion ritual in wires. The intent is openly didactic - to demonstrate “advantages” - but the lesson isn’t really about telephony. It’s about hierarchy. The telephone becomes a prop in a broader argument that U.S. expansion is not just inevitable, but justified by technical superiority. Modernity, in this framing, is evidence of moral entitlement.
The subtext is coercive even when the surface tone is calm. “I divided a body of warriors” reads like the language of logistics, a commander arranging objects on a board. The warriors are not interlocutors; they’re a “body” to be sorted, then impressed. Naming “Sitting Bull’s camp” anchors the moment in the aftermath of intense conflict between the U.S. Army and Lakota resistance, when diplomacy, surveillance, and forced assimilation braided together. A telephone line in this context is not neutral infrastructure; it’s an extension of the state’s reach, a visible proof that the colonizing power can connect, coordinate, and respond faster than its opponents.
What makes the quote work rhetorically is how it collapses technology into destiny. Miles doesn’t need to threaten. He offers a demonstration and lets the implied conclusion do the intimidation: your world is already being reorganized by systems you didn’t choose. The “advantages” aren’t merely practical. They’re meant to feel total - a preview of the larger takeover disguised as a marvel.
The subtext is coercive even when the surface tone is calm. “I divided a body of warriors” reads like the language of logistics, a commander arranging objects on a board. The warriors are not interlocutors; they’re a “body” to be sorted, then impressed. Naming “Sitting Bull’s camp” anchors the moment in the aftermath of intense conflict between the U.S. Army and Lakota resistance, when diplomacy, surveillance, and forced assimilation braided together. A telephone line in this context is not neutral infrastructure; it’s an extension of the state’s reach, a visible proof that the colonizing power can connect, coordinate, and respond faster than its opponents.
What makes the quote work rhetorically is how it collapses technology into destiny. Miles doesn’t need to threaten. He offers a demonstration and lets the implied conclusion do the intimidation: your world is already being reorganized by systems you didn’t choose. The “advantages” aren’t merely practical. They’re meant to feel total - a preview of the larger takeover disguised as a marvel.
Quote Details
| Topic | Human Rights |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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