Natives and Newcomers

This book deals with northeast North America, east of the Appalachians, in the period 1492-1783, i.e. from the first Columbus' voyage to the end of the Independence War. The main argument of the book is that cultural frontiers in early North america were "two-way"- interactive and dynamic. Thus, both sides influenced each other. The author attempted also to "write history from the other side of the frontier." (p.10) He is sympathetic to the Indian's point of view and tries to shed some light and understanding upon it.He rejects the perception about the European moral superiority over the Indians and argues that the French and the English governments periodically fostered scalping of European and Indian enemies by offering bounties or other economic incentives. (p.269)The only drawback of the book is the Axtell is repating himself, because this book is a compilation of papers and chapters from previous books, so he doesn't have a lot of new information in this book.