John Reeves — Grant's Betrayal: Power, Corruption, and the Theft of the Black Hills

John Reeves presents *Grant’s Betrayal: Power, Corruption, and the Theft of the Black Hills*, an examination of the hidden conspiracy within Ulysses S. Grant’s White House that resulted in the Lakota being forced to surrender the Black Hills. The book places this dispossession in the context of the Grant administration’s reversal of its initial “Peace Policy,” the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874, political corruption, military pressure, and the greed of Gilded Age capitalists.

Reeves also explores the broader consequences of this history, including the Lakota loss of land, bison herds, and freedom of movement, while highlighting the resistance of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and other Native leaders. The event offers a reconsideration of a painful and unjust chapter in American history. Reeves is the author of *A Fire in the Wilderness* and *The Lost Indictment of Robert E. Lee*. He has taught European and American history at Lehman College, Bronx Community College, and Southbank University in London, holds an MA in European History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and lives near Washington, DC.

When: Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 7:00pm

Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Tickets: Free

Seating: First come, first served.

Author: John Reeves

Subject: Nonfiction and the history of the Black Hills dispossession, Lakota resistance, U.S. political corruption, and Gilded Age greed

Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally at least one week before the event. Requests will be accommodated when possible up to the event time.

Related book: *Grant’s Betrayal: Power, Corruption, and the Theft of the Black Hills* is available for preorder as a $29.95 hardcover, with a listed publication date of November 3, 2026.