For my project, I have chosen to look at two letters from Rauner’s collections. One is a letter from George Washington to the chief of the Iroquois Confederacy, encouraging them not to take sides in the Revolutionary War. The second letter is one from Andrew Jackson to the chief of the Sioux Nation, basically introducing himself and encouraging their fealty to the United States of American and its government. Both letters are interesting for their snapshot of American history in a myriad of ways. Washington’s letter reveals his recognition of the power of the Confederacy as a player on both sides of the war, and his appeal is couched in paternalistic and grandiose language. Andrew Jackson’s letter is very interesting to me, and one which I need to understand more fully. Even more paternalistic and condescending, Jackson’s appear to the Sioux nation while president seems to intimate forward thinking on Jackson’s part as the westward expansion began to encroach on Sioux territory. I will discover if this letter was written prior to the Cherokee’s Trail of Tears or after, but it certainly appears Jackson is moving beyond his removal of the local southeastern tribes. These two letters are so interesting in regard to their place in American history, and their illustration of the perspective of the American government towards the indigenous populations.
More to come! I am new at using digital tools in research and look forward to seeing how these narratives fit into online resources, and which tools are most effective. Feels good to be a total neophyte 🙂
