Gods of War, Gods of Peace: How the Meeting of Native and Colonial Religions Shaped Early America Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Gods of War, Gods of Peace: How the Meeting of Native and Colonial Religions Shaped Early America Book

In Gods of War, Gods of Peace Russell Bourne skillfully and convincingly recasts the complex interaction between American Indians and colonists by seeing this cultural contact as an "intrinsically religious encounter" rather than a clash of civilizations. Indeed, he describes the American War of Independence as a "disconnected" battle between "Indian nationalism and American evangelical imperialism" and points out that Washington's largest assault was not against the British but the corn-rich Iroquois, in 1779. He sees the two peoples' spirituality--at least originally--as being mutually "influential" rather than, as often portrayed, "invasive." Though there were no mass conversions on either side, many Native Americans became Christians, while "several hundreds" of whites embraced, to some degree, native ways of seeing, as well as living in, the world. Bourne, who is primarily concerned with the 17th and 18th centuries here, highlights curiously obscure characters and events, including Deganawidah, a pre-Columbian Huron "messiah" who inspired Hiawatha, and two bloody religious conflicts, the Pequod War and King Philip's War. Bourne is a patient and thoughtful writer whose premise unfolds with calm measure. --H. O'BillovichRead More

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  • Product Description

    Through dramatic comparisons of Native American and early colonial politics, history, and religion, historian Russell Bourne offers a complete and insightful look at how these two disparate groups influenced each other and how this interchange helped forge the basis for the culture we live in today. Despite living in a war-torn world, both sides made heroic efforts to reach out to each other. The religious and cultural concepts of the Native Americans helped to transform the colonists, turning many into pantheists, communal villagers, and woodland warriors. Similarly, many of the Native Americans became evangelical Christians, farmers, traders, and even commanders of nationalistic armies. Benjamin Franklin, marveling at the cooperation and mutual respect evident among the Six Nations of the Iroquois, suggested that colonial leaders should follow their lead. Yet, in the end, differences and treacheries drove the two peoples apart. Based on extensive historical research and consultation with numerous Native American and academic sources, Gods of War, Gods of Peace offers a revelatory new view of how Native American and colonial religions shaped America and its ideals.

  • 015100501X
  • 9780151005017
  • Russell Bourne, Bourne
  • 1 April 2002
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 448
  • 1
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