Behind the Frontier: Indians in Eighteenth-Century Eastern Massachusetts [Hardcover]

Daniel R. Mandell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

Behind the Frontier tells the story of the Indians in Massachusetts as English settlements encroached on their traditional homeland between 1675 and 1775, from King Philip’s War to the Battle of Bunker Hill. Daniel R. Mandell explores how local needs and regional conditions shaped an Indian ethnic group that transcended race, tribe, village, and clan, with a culture that incorporated new ways while maintaining a core of "Indian" customs. He examines the development of Native American communities in eastern Massachusetts, many of which survive today, and observes emerging patterns of adaptation and resistance that were played out in different settings as the American nation grew westward in the nineteenth century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating."—Boston Globe

(Boston Globe )

"Most histories of Indian-white relations in colonial Massachusetts end with the New England colonists’ victory over Metacomet (King Philip) in 1676. Daniel R. Mandell’s history begins only after the Indians have lost. . . . Mandell’s meticulous study demonstrates that, contrary to popular belief, the losers of King Philip’s War did not disappear from the region. Not only did Indians survive but they continued to play a role in the area’s economy and society."—Journal of American History

(Journal of American History )

"The comparison of native communities over the nearly one hundred years following King Philip’s War makes this book worthy of the reader’s attention. . . . A most important contribution to a reassessment of Indian survival in the Northeast."—William and Mary Quarterly

(William and Mary Quarterly )

About the Author

Daniel R. Mandell is an assistant professor of history at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 257 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803231792
• ISBN-13: 978-0803231795
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,031,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Mandell is a professor of history at Truman State University in Missouri, and has taught there since 1999. He earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Virginia in 1992, an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Tufts University in 1989, and a B.A. in history from Humboldt State University, California, in 1979. Prof. Mandell has received various research grants and fellowships, and his second book _Tribe, Race, History_ was given the Levine Award by the Organization of American Historians for best book in American cultural history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Good analytical read but needs some maps!, April 24, 2011

By 

Lehigh History Student (Bethlehem, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Behind the Frontier: Indians in Eighteenth-Century Eastern Massachusetts (Paperback)

Behind the Frontier offers a look at the fall of the Indian nations in Eastern Massachusetts during the mid to late 1700's as white settlers encroached on their land and assimilated them into their cultures. Mandell talks a look at a wide range of factors from trade, war, disease, intermarriage, and legal conflicts that changed the tribes in the area reducing their traditional way of living to nothing and showing how they melded in with the culture. These tribes did not disappear in the traditional sense but lived on behind the frontier by assimilating into societies including Boston. This book does work well to dismiss the general myth that Indians simply were wiped out after King Philips War. It is a very specific topic and one needs to be very interested in Indian history of New England or you will quickly find this a dry book. I have a general interest in colonial history and found parts of this to be very slow at times. One thing Mandell does not do well is outline where each of the Indian tribes is living. This book assumes a lot of knowledge about the geography of New England which I did not have as a reader. There is not a single map to give you a frame of reference so be prepared to research online to follow along. Overall a very strong book analytically, but only if you have some background knowledge in New England colonial history.

5.0 out of 5 stars A critically important work of Massachusetts history, September 3, 2010

By 

S. W. Ramsdell (Worcester, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind the Frontier: Indians in Eighteenth-Century Eastern Massachusetts (Paperback)

I love this book! It covers a topic and a period that has been largely ignored for far too long. Most traditional works of the history of Massachusetts make the mistaken presumption that the Native Americans somehow just disappeared altogether from Massachusetts after King Phillip's War in the 1670s, but such is not the case; the truth is far more interesting than the fiction. The book describes the gradual diminishment of the native populations in great detail, and is incredibly eye-opening in its topic and its scope. Definitely worth a read for any who are interested in the history of Massachusetts and New England in general!

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exxcellent, March 3, 2010

By 

Big Daddy Z. Top (N.H.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Behind the Frontier: Indians in Eighteenth-Century Eastern Massachusetts (Paperback)

Mandell does excellent work. He uses records that others have over looked. It is the best work on the topic.