History of the Indians, of North and South America

In Short

This volume serves as a comprehensive mid-19th-century survey of North and South American indigenous peoples, organized by region and historical era. It documents the initial encounters between European explorers and native populations, moves through the violent conquests of Mexico and Peru, and concludes with a sober assessment of the United States' westward expansion. Written with a pedagogical intent common to the period, it attempts to humanize indigenous histories while framing their eventual displacement as a complex, unresolved moral crisis that demands urgent national attention.

The Story

The narrative begins with the arrival of Columbus in the West Indies, describing a moment of profound miscalculation where the explorer mistakes the Caribbean for the East Indies. The text depicts the indigenous inhabitants as initially hospitable and generous, a trait that the narrator contrasts sharply with the avarice of the arriving Spaniards, whose primary interest quickly reveals itself to be gold. This initial encounter sets the thematic pattern for the rest of the book: the disruption of long-standing social orders by foreign interlopers.

From the islands, the focus shifts to the mainland, detailing the rise and fall of the Aztec and Incan empires. The account of Mexico is particularly vivid, tracing the transformation of the city of Tenochtitlan from a humble island settlement into a powerful capital, only to have its progress halted by the arrival of Cortés. The narrative meticulously records the internal power struggles of the empire, including the tragic manipulation of the local nobility and the eventual imprisonment of Montezuma. Similarly, the chronicle of Peru highlights how civil war between the brothers Huascar and Atahualpa weakened the empire, leaving it vulnerable to Pizarro’s intervention. The text emphasizes that these great civilizations were not destroyed solely by military force, but by a combination of internal division and the overwhelming technological and political aggression of the invaders.

As the scope narrows toward North America, the narrative examines the shifting alliances and territorial conflicts involving the tribes of Florida, Virginia, and New England. It documents the recurring cycle of broken treaties, frontier massacres, and the forced relocation of various nations. The story follows the trajectory of the Five and Six Nations of the Iroquois, noting their diplomatic sophistication and their struggle to maintain sovereignty amidst the shifting power dynamics between the French and the English.

The concluding chapters move into the American West, describing the "wild and unsophisticated" cultures of the tribes encountered by explorers and traders beyond the Mississippi. The narrative adopts an increasingly somber tone as it addresses the "present condition" of these tribes in the 1840s. It acknowledges the widespread prejudice that casts the Indian as "incorrigible," yet explicitly rejects this view as a convenient excuse for land theft. The book ends not with a resolution, but with a warning: the concentration of indigenous survivors in the West must lead either to their full integration as citizens or to further, inevitable cycles of vengeance and conflict. It issues a final plea for a policy based on "prudence, justice, and general benevolence," arguing that the moral health of the American republic depends on how it manages this final accounting with the native population.

How It Unfolds

The initial encounter The narrative opens with the arrival of Columbus in the West Indies, framing the meeting of two worlds as one defined by initial hospitality on the part of the natives and immediate, destructive greed by the Europeans. The author highlights the stark contrast between the simple, generous lives of the islanders and the relentless pursuit of gold that would soon lead to their devastation.

The fall of empires The text details the rise of the Aztec and Incan civilizations, emphasizing their architectural and agricultural achievements before the arrival of Cortés and Pizarro. It shows how civil wars and political instability within these empires provided the leverage necessary for foreign invaders to dismantle them from within.

The colonial struggle The focus shifts to the North American colonies, where the narrative charts the complex interactions between shifting indigenous alliances and the competing European empires. Each chapter covers the specific conflicts in regions like Florida and New England, illustrating how indigenous populations were forced to navigate a landscape of broken treaties and military encroachment.

The westward frontier The final section moves beyond the Mississippi, chronicling the lives of the western tribes and their encounters with the expanding United States. The author concludes by debating the future of these peoples, explicitly arguing against contemporary justifications for their erasure and calling for a shift toward education and integration.

The People

Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, serves as a central figure of tragic dignity whose imprisonment by Cortés symbolizes the collapse of imperial authority. He is depicted as a man caught between his duty to his gods and the overwhelming, wily power of his Spanish captor. Atahualpa, the Incan leader, similarly represents a monarch whose attempt to consolidate power through civil war ultimately shattered the cohesion of his nation, leaving it defenseless against invaders.

Figures like Guacanagari, the Caribbean cacique, illustrate the initial, vulnerable cooperation of the indigenous leaders, while later warriors such as the Cherokee leader Ouconnostota represent the fierce, articulate resistance against colonial betrayal. Ouconnostota’s attempt to seek justice in the face of the governor’s haughty refusal to listen highlights the breakdown of diplomacy. The Jesuit missionaries appear as complex figures who, while driven by a genuine, if paternalistic, desire to convert the natives, ultimately participate in the broader project of cultural transformation.

Finally, the narrative features the "genuine children of the wilderness," the Pawnee warriors, whose poise and self-possession during a dinner with white officers challenge the reader's stereotypes. These individuals are not presented as mere objects of study, but as participants in a grand, often catastrophic drama, each forced to negotiate the terms of their survival against an encroaching, often hostile, new world.

In Its Own Voice

“These poor, simple people little thought that to obtain gold these Christians would destroy all the Indians in the islands.”

This is the author's reflection on the initial, fatal miscalculation made by the inhabitants of Hayti when they first encountered Columbus.

“The Indians are incorrigible,—therefore let them be swept away.”

This quote summarizes the "ready logic" of contemporary settlers and politicians whose primary interest was the seizure of indigenous lands.

“As the rifle and the axe must first subdue the forest, before the husbandman can cultivate the soil, so must the strong arm of the government produce peace.”

This passage outlines the author's belief that political stability must be established by the state before any true social or religious progress can take root.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is an inquiry into the moral cost of empire. It grapples with the tension between the inevitability of historical "progress"—as understood in the 19th century—and the inherent injustice of the methods used to achieve it. The author uses the history of the American Indians to challenge the reader's capacity for empathy, specifically confronting the prevalent argument that indigenous people were somehow incapable of civilization. By framing the destruction of these cultures as a collective crime, the author asks if the modern American republic can survive the weight of its own history, or if the unresolved grievances of the displaced will eventually demand a reckoning.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the evolution of American thought will find this book a revealing primary source. It does not possess the polished, revisionist objectivity of modern historiography; instead, it offers an unvarnished look at the attitudes of a mid-19th-century intellectual grappling with the reality of colonization. You will encounter the period’s specific biases—its paternalism and its rigid definitions of "civilization"—yet you will also find a surprisingly sharp, moral critique of the justifications for Indian removal.

The prose is straightforward, flowing, and deeply engaged with its subject, making it accessible despite its age. It is best read as a historical artifact that records the transition from a mindset of conquest to one of anxious, late-stage reflection. You will not find modern social science here, but you will find a vivid, often painful, and remarkably honest record of how a nation attempted to justify its own expansion while simultaneously confronting the human wreckage it left in its wake. It is a dense, sometimes difficult journey, but one that remains relevant to anyone curious about the foundational conflicts of the American experience.