“Savage Whites” and the “Brethren in the Woods”: Methodist Voices of Native Survivance in Early-to-Mid-19th-Century America and Canada

Boudreau, Daniel Ronald

Student Work

“Savage Whites” and the “Brethren in the Woods”: Methodist Voices of Native Survivance in Early-to-Mid-19th-Century America and Canada

Public

United by commitments to Native peoples, Peter Jones and William Apess advocated for recognition of rights, increased respect, and self-determination for North America’s indigenous populations in the mid 19th century. Similar discussions of key topics—including racial equality before God, the injustice of colonization, Christian hypocrisy, and the introduction of alcohol by whites—highlight shared ideological foundations and mutual dedication to the cause of survivance. The disparity between their public approaches derives not from fundamental disagreements in outlook, but instead from the differing demands of vastly dissimilar national and regional contexts. Although he initially appears conciliatory and assimilated, Jones was driven by the same ethos that guided his Pequot counterpart.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator