--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The objective of US authorities was to…" description: "\"The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg" --- # The objective of US authorities was to terminate their… ![“The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide.” quote by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg) > “The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide.” [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes genocide as targeting groups collectively, not merely individuals, defining modern genocide. **In simple terms:** Genocide attacks whole peoples, not just individuals. Key Takeaway Recognize collective harm in modern conflicts. Themes human rights genocide collective identity Mood somber urgent Type historical educational When to use this quote - humanitarian interventions - education curricula - legal definitions Key Concepts international law historical trauma Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do societies have to prevent collective harm? - How can we differentiate between conflict and genocide? A Different Perspective Complex to attribute intent to entire groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Genocide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genocide/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“The objective of US colonialist authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples—not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-colonialist-authorities-was-to-terminate-their/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“the convention, any one of five acts is considered genocide if “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-convention-any-one-of-five-acts-is-considered-genocide-if/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“FLIES IN DISGUISE Tell me, Have you Really seen Flies in a child's eyes Or heard their hungry cries In the middle Of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/flies-in-disguise-tell-me-have-you-really-seen-flies-in-a-child-s/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Even more horrifying was the “Rwandan Genocide” that witnessed the mass slaughter of nearly one million Rwandan Tutsis in only 100 days, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-grumley/even-more-horrifying-was-the-rwandan-genocide-that-witnessed-the-mass/) [Michael C. Grumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-grumley/) > [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [There are something like 300 anti-genocide chapters on college campuses around the country. It's bigger than the anti-apartheid movement. There are something like 500…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-power/there-are-something-like-300-anti-genocide-chapters-on-college/) [Samantha Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-power/) > [The situation in Europe is much more advanced, in terms of pro-genocide trends, than in the United States, yet. But we're going very rapidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-larouche/the-situation-in-europe-is-much-more-advanced-in-terms-of-pro/) [Lyndon LaRouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-larouche/) > [“People talk about history and things like slavery, genocide, and religious persecution as horrors that happened in the past because we were ignorant. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-matthew-nespoli/people-talk-about-history-and-things-like-slavery-genocide-and/) [J. Matthew Nespoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-matthew-nespoli/) > [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [If people in Indonesia look 'different', they are afraid. Racist insults fly if someone does not look like part of the majority. Indonesia is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/if-people-in-indonesia-look-different-they-are-afraid-racist-insults/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [“We are preaching hope, standing on the bones of the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rucyahana/we-are-preaching-hope-standing-on-the-bones-of-the-past/) [John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rucyahana/) > [I find in working always the disturbing intrusion of elements not a part of my most interested vision, and the inevitable obliteration and replacement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hopper/i-find-in-working-always-the-disturbing-intrusion-of-elements-not-a/) [Edward Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hopper/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“There is no time for patience - there is no time for diplomacy - there is no time for policies, legislations and meaningless paperwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-no-time-for-patience-there-is-no-time-for-diplomacy-there-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) ## More by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz > [The history of the United States is a history of settler colonialism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-history-of-the-united-states-is-a-history-of-settler-colonialism/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“The global Indigenous cause reached a major milestone in 2007 when the UN General Assembly passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-global-indigenous-cause-reached-a-major-milestone-in-2007-when/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“the convention, any one of five acts is considered genocide if “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-convention-any-one-of-five-acts-is-considered-genocide-if/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“histories. Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) historian Jean O’Brien names this practice of writing Indians out of existence “firsting and lasting.” All over the continent, local histories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/histories-anishinaabe-ojibwe-historian-jean-o-brien-names-this/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“Everything in US history is about the land—who oversaw and cultivated it, fished its waters, maintained its wildlife; who invaded and stole it; how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/everything-in-us-history-is-about-the-land-who-oversaw-and-cultivated/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [Passionate, organized hatred is the element missing in all that we do to try to change the world. Now is the time to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/passionate-organized-hatred-is-the-element-missing-in-all-that-we-do/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [ How will the family unit be destroyed? ...\[T\]he demand alone will throw the whole ideology of the family into question, so that women can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/how-will-the-family-unit-be-destroyed-t-he-demand-alone-will-throw/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“warfare would be waged west of the Mississippi as it had been earlier against the Abenakis, Cherokees, Shawnees, Muskogees, and even Christian Indians. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/warfare-would-be-waged-west-of-the-mississippi-as-it-had-been-earlier/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [Investors, monarchies, and parliamentarians devised methods to control the processes of wealth accumulation and the power that came with it, but the ideology behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/investors-monarchies-and-parliamentarians-devised-methods-to-control/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“The objective of US colonialist authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples—not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-colonialist-authorities-was-to-terminate-their/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“Settler colonialism, as an institution or system, requires violence or the threat of violence to attain its goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/settler-colonialism-as-an-institution-or-system-requires-violence-or/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [The caste system, in all its various forms, is always based on identifiable physical characteristics - sex, color, age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-caste-system-in-all-its-various-forms-is-always-based-on/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [In the present, the way benevolence is expressed is in conceptualizing the Native as a historical relic; US people have to be constantly reminded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/in-the-present-the-way-benevolence-is-expressed-is-in-conceptualizing/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“Multiculturalism became the cutting edge of post-civil-rights-movement US history revisionism. For this scheme to work—and affirm US historical progress—Indigenous nations and communities had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/multiculturalism-became-the-cutting-edge-of-post-civil-rights/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) > [“this idea of the gift-giving Indian helping to establish and enrich the development of the United States is an insidious smoke screen meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/this-idea-of-the-gift-giving-indian-helping-to-establish-and-enrich/) [Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) [Explore all 24 Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/) [Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/) [Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals. This is the very definition of modern genocide.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-terminate-their-existence-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authority" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-terminate-their-existence-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz-24305_authority_the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-t_233997.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The objective of US authorities was to terminate their existence as peoples - not as random individuals…” — Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The objective of US authorities was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-terminate-their-existence-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/the-objective-of-us-authorities-was-to-terminate-their-existence-as/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```