Red Gentlemen and White Savages ─ Indians, Federalist, and the Search for Order on the American Frontier

Nichols (history, Indiana State University) takes an objective look at a period in the history of the United States that is often polarized, the interactions of White settlers and Native Americans in the first Western frontier during the twenty years after the Revolution. Nichols' argues that leaders of the tribes and Federalist leaders both wanted to come to some sort of compromise that would allow both groups to coexist. However, atrocities and vigilante behavior on both sides led to an acceleration of hostilities. Politics in Europe, the American government and among the tribes was also a factor. By the time of Jefferson's presidency, his belief that Native Americans were intelligent and could be civilized and integrated into Anglo-European culture was dominant in government. On the frontier others believed that the only recourse was genocide. While the tragic outcome is well known, the complex steps that led to it are not. This is a fascinating slant on our early days as a nation. The mistakes made then are worth studying in the light of current conflicts world wide. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

David Andrew Nichols is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Indiana State University.