Transatlantic Encounters
American Indians in Britain, 1500–1776

Transatlantic Encounters examines the diverse origins and experiences of approximately 175 American Indians and Inuits who traveled to the British Isles before the American Revolution.

Alden T. Vaughan (Author)

9780521738170, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 24 November 2008

364 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.49 kg

'Using diaries, letters, news sheets, broadsides, government documents, and plays, along with nuanced analyses of portraits and illustrations of the natives, Vaughan has produced a chronological narrative exploring the goals, impact, and later activities of native visitors. In doing so, he has written an accessible and very engaging book that will appeal to students and academics alike.' Literature and History

Transatlantic Encounters examines the diverse origins and experiences of approximately 175 American Indians and Inuits who traveled to the British Isles before the American Revolution. Their homelands ranged from northern Canada to Brazil, their ages from infant to nonagenarian, their statuses from slave (the largest category) to 'emperor', their occupations from warrior to missionary. Some American natives died soon after arrival, but others remained as long as fourteen years and returned home; still others, their arrival and death dates undocumented, may have endured long lives abroad. And always, Indians and Inuits fascinated the British people, whether the Americans were captives or on commercial display, interpreters-in-training, or voluntary voyagers to petition the monarch and tour Britain's famous sites. British artists painted their portraits and eminent writers invoked them in plays and essays. In the imperial crisis of 1776, Indian diplomats who had been to London would staunchly support the British Empire.

Preface
1. New World exotics
2. Raleigh's American interpreters
3. Powhatans abroad
4. Norumbega's reluctant guides
5. Pocahontas and friends
6. Disparate encounters
7. Four American 'kings'
8. Delegations from the lower south
9. Ambivalent receptions
10. Peripatetic preacher
11. Tragedies and partial triumphs
12. Retrospect
Acknowledgments.

Subject Areas: Early modern history: c 1450/1500 to c 1700 [HBLH], History of the Americas [HBJK], British & Irish history [HBJD1]