Indians in the United States and Canada

A Comparative History

by Roger L Nichols

“In his admirable book, Roger L. Nichols takes on the intimidating task of comparing the histories of hundreds of Indian peoples in the United States and Canada over five centuries. . . . Writing within the framework of the two nations and their growth, Nichols nonetheless sees events as much from the Indian angle as from the white. . . . This is only one of many virtues in this thoughtful, largely successful and ambitious book.”—Elliot West, Times Literary Supplement. “An insightful comparative history . . . The book presents a survey of the key issues and dynamics that shaped relations between natives and the new forces they faced. . . . Nichols formulates a true comparative approach; rather than merely presenting the Canadian story alongside that of the U.S., he effectively integrates the two throughout the work.”—Choice.

Drawing upon a vast array of primary and secondary sources, Roger L. Nichols traces the changing relationships between Native peoples and whites, from colonial times to the present. Dividing the history of Indian-white relations into five stages—beginning with Native supremacy over European settlers and concluding with their political, economic, and cultural resurgence during the latter part of the twentieth century—he compares and contrasts the effects of each stage on Native peoples in both countries.

Roger L. Nichols is a professor of history at the University of Arizona. He is the author of Black Hawk and the Warrior’s Path and Natives and Strangers: Ethnic Groups and the Building of America.

421 pp ~ illustrated — ©1999