Pragmatism is America's most distinctive philosophy. Generally it hasbeen understood as a development of European thought in response to the"American wilderness." A closer examination, however, reveals that theroots and central commitments of pragmatism are indigenous to North America. NativePragmatism recovers this history and thus provides the means to re-conceive thescope and potential of American philosophy. Pragmatism has been at best onlypartially understood by those who focus on its European antecedents. This book castsnew light on pragmatism's complex origins and demands a rethinking of AfricanAmerican and feminist thought in the context of the American philosophicaltradition. Scott L. Pratt demonstrates that pragmatism and its development involvedthe work of many thinkers previously overlooked in the history ofphilosophy.