Synopses & Reviews
Long before the American Revolution, the Shawnees lived in Ohio, hunted in Kentucky, and traveled as far afield as Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Missouri. White settlers, however, sharply curtailed their freedom. With the courage and resilience embodied by their legendary leader Tecumseh, the Shawnee tribe waged a war of territorial and cultural resistance that lasted for more than sixty years. For a time the Shawnees and their allies met American forces on nearly equal termsbut their story is of an embattled nation fighting to maintain its cultural and political independence.
Here is the account of the early American settlers drive to occupy the West, the Shawnees unwavering defense of their homeland, and the bitter battles that resulted. Here too are the alliances that the Shawnees forged with their Indian neighbors to present a united resistance, as well as instances of cooperation, collaboration, and intermarriage between the opposing forces.
Review
The history engages us fully. . . . The remarkable texturing of the historic period and the description of responses by early Americans and their leaders . . . set Calloways book apart.
Los Angeles Times
Fascinating, comprehensive and passionate.
Leslie Marmon Silko
Synopsis
Calloway offers an account of the early American settlers' drive to occupy the West, the Shawnee's unwavering defense of their homeland, and the bitter battles that resulted. Also noted are the instances of cooperation, collaboration, and intermarriage between the opposing forces.
Synopsis
With the courage and resilience embodied by their legendary leader Tecumseh, the Shawnees waged a war of territorial and cultural resistance for half a century. Noted historian Colin G. Calloway details the political and legal battles and the bloody fighting on both sides for possession of the Shawnees? land, while imbuing historical figures such as warrior chief Tecumseh, Daniel Boone, and Andrew Jackson with all their ambiguity and complexity. More than defending their territory, the Shawnees went to war to preserve a way of life and their own deeply held vision of what their nation should be.
About the Author
Colin G. Calloway is a professor of history and Samson Occom Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College. He is the series editor of The Penguin Library of American Indian History.