New England Frontier tells the story of the Puritan and Indian relations in the first years of 1620-1675. Contrary to modern anti-Puritan view points, this books explains the relationship between the English and the Indians before King Philips war by looking at the primary sources. This book shows that the New England frontier wasn't as simple as modern textbooks claim it was.
Most textbooks say that the Puritans were hungry for land and ready to take it from the Indians who they deemed as ungodly, however, there were many different factions (Native American tribes, different English colonies and European colonies) which all played important roles in the early history of New England.
Vaughan shows several events where the Puritans kept peace and how a vast majority of the Indians backed the colonists in the war against the Pequots. He is not an apologist though and recognizes when the Puritan's massacre of the innocent Indian's in Mystic, along with the change in attitudes among the Puritans in the 1670s which led to king Philips war.
I would like to give it 4 and a half stars because there is in some parts a lack of Indian voices, the introduction in the later editions helps show where he went too far in the earlier editions.
History is not one sided, and this book makes a good argument using contemporary sources to show that the Puritans treated English and Indians the same (or at least made an attempt to) before 1675. Historians need to examine the post-1675 stereotypes and not link all anti-Native European sentiments into one, because the Puritans saw the Indians in a much better light than most (if not all) Europeans.
I would very much like to see a King Philips war book written in this same manor and an assessment of post-1675 Indian policies.
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