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. 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.

Table of Contents:
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.

About the Author :
Alden T. Vaughan is Affiliate Professor of History at Clark University and Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, where he taught for several decades. He is the author of many books, including Shakespeare's Caliban: A Cultural History (1991), with his wife, Virginia Mason Vaughan.

Review :
'This book as been needed for a long time. Transatlantic Encounters is groundbreaking in the range and thoroughness of its coverage. With lucid prose and vivid images that Cambridge Press did well to reproduce, it could work well, at least in extracts, for undergraduate classes. For years to come it will serve as an indispensable resource for the study of Indians in Britain and of Indian-English contact, not to mention the many individuals treated in its pages. Vaughan's analysis of these encounters also promises to have substantial influence on the burgeoning field of Atlantic history.' Journal of American Ethnic History '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