American Colonies: The Settling of North America
by Alan Taylor
A Book Review by Heather Davis
March 2009
In his book, American Colonies: The Settling of North America, Alan Taylor,
winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book William Cooper's Town: Power
and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, has written a wideranging history of the American colonies. He strives to give an accurate account of the
diverse people involved with the colonization of North America. Throughout the book,
he looks at exploration and colonization by Europeans, diverse groups of African slaves
who were forced to work in the new world, and the many unique Indian tribes who were
already scattered across the continent of North America well before its discovery by the
Europeans. The book is an excellent read for anyone interested in learning about the
history of the colonies beyond the Anglocentric perspective that has traditionally taken
precedence in American history classes and texts.
American Colonies is the first book in a five-volume series meant to cover the
history of the United States up to the present. However, in writing this first book in the
series, Taylor diligently works to include information about not only the land that is today
a part of the United States, but also other colonies in North America including those in
Mexico, Canada, and the British West Indies. American Colonies does devote more
coverage to British America than to the colonies belonging to the French, Spanish,
Russian, or Dutch colonists simply because British America became the most populous
and powerful colonial presence. However, Taylor does not belittle the importance of the
other colonies. In devoting time to discussing colonies in the British West Indies,
present-day Mexico, and Canada, Taylor recognizes that these regions played powerful
roles in colonization and had big effects on the colonies that were within the present
borders of the United States. By writing such a balanced account, he also helps his
readers focus on the fact that at the time of the colonies, no one knew who would
eventually come to control various parts of the New World.
Even the title of Taylor’s book embraces the diversity that shaped America. By
naming the book American Colonies instead of Colonial America, Taylor indicates that
the colonies were varied and cannot be lumped together. Throughout the book, he
works to compare diverse groups of people who lived in the Americas at the same time
but had very different values and ways of life. For example, when writing about the
English colonists of the 1600s, he is careful to have different chapters for the poor
English people attracted to the Chesapeake area by the prospect of getting work
growing tobacco and perhaps one day owning land and prospering, versus the Puritans
of New England who went to North America with hopes of purifying the Protestant faith.
American Colonies begins with an excellent introduction that helps the reader recognize
and appreciate the author’s historical perspective and sets a tone that makes the reader
want to continue through the book and gain a more thorough understanding of the
differing people groups and cultures that played a part in the North American colonies.
In his introduction, Taylor is very up front about denouncing the traditional view that
colonists were only British men on the eastern coast of North America. He is quick to
point out that there was colonization in both Alaska and Hawaii that has been ignored
by many historians. Taylor believes that the traditional story of the American colonies
excludes too many people, including the American Indians and the African slaves – two
groups who were essential for European colonization. He also points out that colonial
America included not only the British, but also Spanish, French, Dutch, and even
Russian colonists. As he sets the stage for the rest of the book in the introduction,
Taylor lets his readers know that by reading his book they will receive a broad history of
the American colonies with time devoted to an accurate history of New France, New
Spain, and New Netherland as well as New England and an exploration of how the
mixing of various peoples including the Africans, Europeans, and Indians led to many
conflicts and adaptations.
In selecting his timeline for the book, Taylor works to change the Anglocentric
view of colonial history. He begins before the arrival of the first European explorers and
ends well after the American colonies declared independence. His timeline starts in
13,000 B.C. with the migration of what would become the American Indians to the North
American continent in three surges and how these groups of Indians changed over time
even before the arrival of European colonists forced further major adaptations. His
endpoint for colonization extends beyond the time when thirteen of the British colonies
declared independence in 1776. Instead, he argues that the colonial experience did not
end in the west until 1820 and devotes the last portion of the book to presenting a
history of colonialism in California, Alaska, and Hawaii.
Taylor divides his book into three major parts: Encounters, Colonies, and
Empires. Within each section, Taylor organizes his book chapters by discussing
individual regions. Each part of the book slowly moves the reader forward in time.
Therefore, instead of learning about Spanish colonization from start to finish in one
section, the reader learns first about the beginnings of New Spain and then reads about
French colonies of the time before learning more about how the Spanish colonies
progressed. This allows Taylor to easily compare the way the Spanish conquistadors
and missionaries interacted with American Indians in the south with the way French fur
trappers and Jesuit priests interacted with Indians in the North at about the same time.
The contrast between the experiences and progress of the different people groups and
cultures involved in colonization gives a unique perspective that would not be present in
a purely linear presentation.
Throughout his book, Taylor devotes time to giving his reader an accurate look at
two groups of people who, against their will, played a major part in American colonies:
American Indians and African slaves. He explains that both major groups were made
up of many smaller groups that were very different from one another in both language
and culture. The assorted tribes of North American Indians spread across the continent
were greatly decreased in number forcing consolidation and change as groups of
colonists came. Taylor points out the fact that North America actually lost population
between 1492 and 1776 as diseases and wars killed Indians faster than they could be
replaced by colonists.
The author does not gloss over the atrocities committed against the Indians or
African slaves. In his discussion of slavery, he begins not with the African slaves, but
with the Indians who the Spanish came hoping to make into slaves but who died off due
to illnesses the Spanish brought. He notes the precedent set by the Iberians before the
discovery of the North American continent when they took over the Canaries and forced
the native Guanche people into slavery. The Iberians’ rationalized conquering and
enslaving the natives by pointing out that the Guanche were not Christian or even
civilized. This ethnocentric reasoning was used again and again in the New World at
the expense of the native Indians. As he continues to discuss the exploitation of the
Indians and Africans, he points out that English colonists in Carolina actually managed
local Indians by recruiting them to be slave catchers. This theme of Europeans using
groups of Indians to their advantage when there was something to be gained (i.e. furs or
protection from other tribes) and then quickly turning against and destroying the same
groups runs throughout the book and reminds the reader that the land that eventually
became the United States could not have been formed without the suffering and deaths
of various Indian and African groups.
As Taylor revisits the topic of slavery throughout the book, he notes the ways in
which it changed over time as the number of African slaves grew. For example, we
learn that early slaves in the Chesapeake could work for freedom, own land, vote, and
even have their own slaves but laws prohibiting all of these rights were introduced as
the number of African slaves increased and white colonists began to fear rebellion. This
fear stemmed from the fact that slaves were actually in the majority in some colonies
and in the 18th century most emigrants were enslaved Africans.
Taylor also works to discount popular myths that many people have traditionally
accepted as history. One such myth that he challenges regarding slavery is that
European shippers attacked Africa to obtain slaves. In reality, shippers bought their
slaves from African middlemen the majority of the time. Another myth he dispels is the
idea that Europeans were deterred from sailing due west to get to Asia because they
believed the world was flat. In reality, ancient Greek mathematicians had an accurate
understanding that the world was both round and very large. Columbus also had the
knowledge that the world was round, but unlike the Greek mathematicians, he
underestimated the circumference of the globe and took the westward trip to Asia
thinking that his route would save time. Yet another myth Taylor refutes using his
research on American Indian rituals is that Pocahontas took pity on John Smith and
saved him from death making John Smith very grateful and compassionate toward the
Indian people. Taylor believes that Pocahontas was taking part in a ceremony in which
her father, Powhatan, was trying to adopt John Smith as a subordinate chief. Upon
being released, John Smith continued to exploit the Indians.
As Taylor seeks to give an even account of the many groups involved in
American colonization, he provides many examples of how the groups came to adapt to
and rely on one another, to the benefit of some and the detriment of others. For
example, though they had successfully adapted to life in North America over many
years on their own, many Indian tribes became reliant on Europeans for horses as well
as guns and other goods. Traders, particularly the French, became heavily reliant on
Indians for furs and used some tribes against others to get the best furs for the lowest
prices. Likewise, Indians traded with the European groups who were able to provide
them with the best European goods for the fewest furs and Indian goods. Though few
New Englanders owned slaves, they relied on trading with the West Indies which had a
slave-based economy. When thirteen of the British colonies declared independence,
other British colonies such as those to the north in Nova Scotia and Quebec, and those
to the south in the West Indies, were too dependent on British protection to consider
rebellion.
Alan Taylor’s work is carefully constructed and backed by a wide variety of
sources. Each source is noted by chapter in the book’s extensive bibliography. Taylor
used a more than adequate supply of both primary and secondary sources to support
his scholarly work. Throughout the book, Taylor bolsters his points with quotes from
people who were very influential in the colonies including Christopher Columbus and
Benjamin Franklin as well as less known historical figures. When Taylor is presenting
information about the origins of the American Indians, he uses his resources to the best
of his ability, but is also very honest in explaining that some of his statements and dates
regarding the subject are approximations because there are no written records and new
discoveries are being made daily.
I recommend American Colonies: The Settling of North America to anyone
looking for a balanced and wide-ranging account of the history of colonies in North
America. Alan Taylor presents a very interesting history of the New World that goes
beyond the traditional Anglocentric perspective to demonstrate how America was
shaped by a very complex mix of very diverse groups of people. Taylor keeps his
readers engaged from start to finish.