Brothers Among Nations: The Pursuit of Intercultural Alliances in Early America, 1580-1660

265 Pages·2008·2.83 MB·English

by  Cynthia J. Van Zandt

BROTHERS
among NATIONS
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BROTHERS
among NATIONS
The Pursuit of
Intercultural Alliances
in Early America,
1580 1660
–
Cynthia J. Van Zandt
1
2008
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Zandt, Cynthia J.
Brothers among nations : the pursuit of intercultural alliances in early America,
1580–1660 / Cynthia J. Van Zandt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN978-0-19-518124-1
1. Indians of North America—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600–1775.2. Indians of
North America—First contact with Europeans. 3. Indians of North America—Colonization.
4. Cultural relations—United States—History. 5. United States—Ethnic relations.
6. United States—History—Colonial period, ca. 1600–1775. I. Title.
E77.V252008
303.48'273009032—dc22 2007051112
987654321
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For JIM and HANNAH
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Acknowledgments
I have incurred numerous debts in writing this book. Needless to say, any book
that begins as a doctoral dissertation and then transforms into a rather dif-
ferent work invariably takes several years and depends heavily upon people’s
generosity in the process. Brothers among Nations has benefited particularly
from the intellectual interest and assistance of many people, so many, indeed,
that I fear it will be impossible to thank them all.
A research support grant from the University of New Hampshire vice presi-
dent for research and public service, as well as a grant of leave, helped to make it
possible for me to conduct additional studies during a crucial period. I am grate-
ful to Dean Marilyn Hoskin and to the History Department for the necessary
leave time to carry out further research. In addition, the American Antiquarian
Society granted a Stephen Botein Research Fellowship and made available the
society’s expertise and resources as I delved deeply into seventeenth-century
printed works on navigation, society, politics, and intercultural relations.
Many colleagues read portions of the manuscript at various stages of
the writing. I am particularly grateful to the anonymous readers for Oxford
University Press, who provided a close reading of the manuscript and an
extremely helpful critique. I have no doubt that this is a better book as a result
of their suggestions. And if I have stubbornly failed to follow some of their very
good advice, they are certainly not to blame.
In addition, a number of other colleagues provided both tangible and
i ntangible assistance. Brendan McConville, Walt Woodward, Karen Kupperman,
Richard Johnson, and Daniel Richter offered helpful ideas along the way.
acknowledgments
Brendan McConville and Ruth Herndon lent support at a critical juncture.
Charles Gehring and the New Netherland Institute were supportive of this proj-
ect from start to finish, and I am very grateful for their help. Jim Rice made
insightful suggestions over the years as we discussed our mutual interest in the
Chesapeake and its native peoples. David Furlow and Lisa Pennington share my
abiding interest in the extraordinary Isaac Allerton, and they have generously
shared their own research with me. Karen Kupperman has given vital assistance
and wise counsel throughout; I could not ask for a better mentor.
I am indebted to my colleagues in the History Department at the University
of New Hampshire. Their commitment to excellence in scholarship and teach-
ing makes UNH a congenial place to work. All of them have helped with this
project in one way or another. Several read portions of the manuscript with
particular care and offered constructive suggestions; I extend my thanks to Bill
Harris, Frank McCann, Eliga Gould, and Jan Golinski for reading parts of the
manuscript and book proposal. Nicky Gullace and Lige Gould took time away
from their own work to critique cover images. David Frankfurter has always
been ready for a lively discussion of intercultural dynamics, and I have ben-
efited a great deal from our conversations.
In addition, Holly A. Rine provided useful research assistance at an early stage
of this work. I am also grateful to my undergraduate and graduate students at the
University of New Hampshire. I am a better scholar and writer because of them.
The John Carter Brown Library reproduced the illustrations from their
extraordinary holdings; I thank them for permission to use these materials. The
members of the JCB’s imaging staff were extraordinarily helpful and respon-
sive. In addition, Susan Danforth, who is always a model of professionalism
and efficiency, responded to numerous queries for increasingly obscure images
with enthusiasm and aplomb. The fact that some of them proved elusive is not
due to any lack of searching on her part. Similarly, the Library of Congress,
the Maryland Historical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society
responded generously and quickly to requests for similarly obscure images.
I thank them all for their assistance.
I presented portions of chapters 1 and 2 to the New England Seminar in
American History at the American Antiquarian Society; portions of chapters
1 and 3 to the “Changing and Exchanging” conference on Cultural Contact
and Spiritual and Material Conversions at Princeton University; portions
of chapter 6 at the Columbia Seminar in Early American History and to the
Fulbright American Studies Conference at the University of Canterbury, New
Zealand; and portions of chapter 7 at the Boston Area Early American History
Seminar at the Massachusetts Historical Society. I am grateful to the partic-
ipants at all of these venues for their feedback. A portion of chapter 1 was
published in Early American Studies.
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acknowledgments
Ultimately, I did not take the advice of everyone who generously offered
suggestions, comments, and constructive criticisms, though I am grateful for
their intellectual contributions. In the end, however, the responsibility for any
errors or omissions is mine alone.
Everyone at Oxford University Press has made publishing this book a plea-
sure from start to finish. Susan Ferber has a long list of loyal authors for good
reason, and she has been a steadfast model of professionalism. I am grateful for
her suggestions and technical assistance and above all for her sound good sense
and unwavering support for Brothers among Nations.
To everyone who kept asking whether the book was done yet, I offer my
thanks. Although it is not always a question one wants to answer, it is one that
every writer ought to face from time to time. Thanks to my parents for their
forbearance during a very long process and for assuming that some day they
would really see an actual book.
I cannot adequately express my indebtedness to Jim Rollins. He has been
there every step of the way—for every eureka moment and roadblock—and
he has faced it all with love and equanimity. And to Hannah, who has had
to wait patiently too many times, thank you for deciding that chapter 5 was
good enough, at least at the time. Some things should not have to wait; we had
waited long enough. This book is dedicated to Jim and Hannah, with love and
gratitude.
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