New England Frontier: Puritans and Indians 1620–1675

Description

In contrast to most accounts of Puritan-Indian relations, New England Frontier argues that the first two generations of Puritan settlers were neither generally hostile toward their Indian neighbors nor indifferent to their territorial rights. Rather, American Puritans-especially their political and religious leaders-sought peaceful and equitable relations as the first step in molding the Indians into neo-Englishmen. When accumulated Indian resentments culminated in the war of 1675, however, the relatively benign intercultural contact of the preceding fifty-five-year period rapidly declined. With a new introduction updating developments in Puritan-Indian studies in the last fifteen years, this third edition affords the reader a clear, balanced overview of a complex and sensitive area of American history. Contents Illustrations Introduction to the Second Edition Introduction to the Third Edition Preface Antecedents The Indians of New England Pilgrim Precedents, 1620-1630 The Expansion of New England, 1630-1636 The Pequot War, 1637 Puritan Policy: Confederation and the Indians, 1638-1677 Puritan Policy: Laws and Litigation, 1610-1675 Commercial Relations, 1620-1677 Early Missionary Activity, 1610-1650 Missionary Efforts: Years of Growth, i6yo-i66y Missionary Efforts: Years of Harvest, 1667-1677 Epilogue and Conclusion Appendices Notes Bibliography Index