Real American Indians Jane Tompkins Analysis

Jane Tompkins is an exquisite author of numerous books and articles, specifically, “ ‘Indians’: Textualism, Morality, and the Problem of History”. Throughout this article, it is evident that Tompkins declares how history on the topic of European-Indian relation [ in the seventeenth and eighteenth century ] is factually different amongst separate historical writers. Studying and analyzing opinionated works of a great deal of writers, Tompkins found it hard to determine who is to hold accountable for factual and/or inaccurate statements. Based on various prejudice opinions, one can grasp the concept of this history different from another and Tompkins proves this occurrence on multiple occasions during her article. After researching the writers

Tompkins first explains in her article her stand point of what her thoughts were on the Indians accidentally. She starts by saying how she would go to Inwood Park for an event [ in New York City growing up ] where Indians, “ Real American Indians dressed in feathers and blankets”, would be and she got to look at and touch them. Tompkins claims she had already known about Indians from school; “ Over and over we were told the story of how Peter Minuit had bought Manhattan Island from the Indians for twenty-four dollars ' worth of glass beads. And it was a story we didn 't mind hearing because it gave us the rare pleasure of having someone to feel superior to, since the poor Indians had not known (as we eight-year-olds did) how valuable a piece of property Manhattan Island would become” (Tompkins 101). When Tompkins stated “ it gave us the rare pleasure of having someone to feel superior to”, this is her posing a bias on Indians

Jane Tompkins researched a book entitled New England Frontier: Puritans and Indians, 1620-1675 written by Alden Vaughan. Overall, “His announced that "the New England Puritans followed a remarkably human erate, and just policy in their dealings with the Indians" seems by the scope, documentation, and methodical” (Tompkins 105). Vaughan does not feel that Puritans were humane when they met the Natives but he doesn 't think the Puritans were cruel either. When researching Francis Jennings work The Invasion of America, Tompkins concluded that her results completely contradicted what Vaughan was just saying. “Jennings rips wide open the idea that Puritans were humane and considerate in their dealings with the Indians” (Tompkins 106). In this case who is to be believe? Who is spitting out inaccurate information? Vaughan believed Indians belonged to an inferior culture whereas Jennings believed Indians were more or less innocent prey of power-hungry whites (Tompkins