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Red Chiefs and White Challengers, Confrontations in American Indian History
Epoch ending confrontations are retraced concerning aboriginal Americans and the white races expanding across the American continent. This work features chapter essays about Captain John Smith, William Penn, Tecumseh, John Ross, President Andrew Jackson, Colonel John Chivington, Cochise, General George Crook, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1972
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August 17, 2026
This book is best described from one of the front pages.
“J. Jay Myers presents, in Red Chiefs and White Challengers: Confrontations in American Indian History, an unusual collection of white pioneers and Indian leaders in historic confrontations. The collision of the burgeoning white man’s New World civilization and the peaceful native existence which it submerged is dramatically portrayed through the lives of the central figures in this dramatic struggle.”
This book held my attention in the beginning. The first five chapters, John Smith, William Penn, Tecumseh, John Ross and Andrew Jackson, were very interesting and informative. Of these I found the chapter on William Penn and Andrew Jackson most interesting. I knew nothing before this about William Penn and I quite like him. I thought I knew about Andrew Jackson and learned I did not know much after all. There are many good things about Andrew Jackson. Enough so that I would like to learn more about him.
The next chapters my interest is still there but it’s waning. I learned about John Chivington, Cochise and George Crook. I’m starting to be aggravated because there are bad people on both sides who are causing trouble. With each bad thing done to a side that side wants revenge. It just keeps going on and on. I felt no one on either side was holding their own people accountable for their actions. But finally we see someone like George Crook come in and start making headway with the Apache relations. Life is good for the Apache’s and the whites. Later Crook is removed to another territory and the Apaches are once again treated badly to the point of starvation.
From here on out, we all know how this ends, it’s one battle after another and one broken treaty after another broken treaty. It was hard to finish reading. But I will tell you the last chapters are on Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph.
I found William Penn and George Crook’s ideas on the Native Americans to be the most honorable. I understood that they both felt natives should be treated as equals to white men. I say white men only because that is what is discussed in this book. (But we do learn about Quakers in the chapter on William Penn as he is a Quaker and Quakers are against slavery.)
Each chapter has a bibliography at the end that includes original sources. This alone would be helpful to anyone seriously researching this subject, Native American Indians.
“J. Jay Myers presents, in Red Chiefs and White Challengers: Confrontations in American Indian History, an unusual collection of white pioneers and Indian leaders in historic confrontations. The collision of the burgeoning white man’s New World civilization and the peaceful native existence which it submerged is dramatically portrayed through the lives of the central figures in this dramatic struggle.”
This book held my attention in the beginning. The first five chapters, John Smith, William Penn, Tecumseh, John Ross and Andrew Jackson, were very interesting and informative. Of these I found the chapter on William Penn and Andrew Jackson most interesting. I knew nothing before this about William Penn and I quite like him. I thought I knew about Andrew Jackson and learned I did not know much after all. There are many good things about Andrew Jackson. Enough so that I would like to learn more about him.
The next chapters my interest is still there but it’s waning. I learned about John Chivington, Cochise and George Crook. I’m starting to be aggravated because there are bad people on both sides who are causing trouble. With each bad thing done to a side that side wants revenge. It just keeps going on and on. I felt no one on either side was holding their own people accountable for their actions. But finally we see someone like George Crook come in and start making headway with the Apache relations. Life is good for the Apache’s and the whites. Later Crook is removed to another territory and the Apaches are once again treated badly to the point of starvation.
From here on out, we all know how this ends, it’s one battle after another and one broken treaty after another broken treaty. It was hard to finish reading. But I will tell you the last chapters are on Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph.
I found William Penn and George Crook’s ideas on the Native Americans to be the most honorable. I understood that they both felt natives should be treated as equals to white men. I say white men only because that is what is discussed in this book. (But we do learn about Quakers in the chapter on William Penn as he is a Quaker and Quakers are against slavery.)
Each chapter has a bibliography at the end that includes original sources. This alone would be helpful to anyone seriously researching this subject, Native American Indians.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review