In 1631; when the Dutch tried to develop plantation agriculture in the Delaware Valley; the Lenape Indians destroyed the colony of Swanendael and killed its residents. The Natives and Dutch quickly negotiated peace; avoiding an extended war through diplomacy and trade. The Lenapes preserved their political sovereignty for the next fifty years as Dutch; Swedish; Finnish; and English colonists settled the Delaware Valley. The European outposts did not approach the size and strength of those in Virginia; New England; and New Netherland. Even after thousands of Quakers arrived in West New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the late 1670s and '80s; the region successfully avoided war for another seventy-five years.Lenape Country is a sweeping narrative history of the multiethnic society of the Delaware Valley in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. After Swanendael; the Natives; Swedes; and Finns avoided war by focusing on trade and forging strategic alliances in such events as the Dutch conquest; the Mercurius affair; the Long Swede conspiracy; and English attempts to seize land. Drawing on a wide range of sources; author Jean R. Soderlund demonstrates that the hallmarks of Delaware Valley society—commitment to personal freedom; religious liberty; peaceful resolution of conflict; and opposition to hierarchical government—began in the Delaware Valley not with Quaker ideals or the leadership of William Penn but with the Lenape Indians; whose culture played a key role in shaping Delaware Valley society. The first comprehensive account of the Lenape Indians and their encounters with European settlers before Pennsylvania's founding; Lenape Country places Native culture at the center of this part of North America.
#1332121 in Books University of Pennsylvania Press 2001-12-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .41 x 6.14l; .66 #File Name: 0812217853152 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Volume 1 in an outstanding series!By Christina PaulI first encountered this series in my college's library. They only had a couple of volumes to this six volume set; but I could not put them down. The historical research is thorough for anyone interested in the subject of witchcraft and magic throughout history.Volume 1 is a bit slender;unlike the rest of the set which are a bit thicker. There is sketchy information about the witch's craft during the early periods because much of what is now practiced were incorporated in both state rites of now long gone civilizations and folk ways that were not so well documented during a mostly illiterate populace. All in all; this book builds a solid foundation for the rest of the series.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. No need to order this oneBy IlovebooksThere is a very big problem with this book. The first part is a well rounded review of some of the tablets translated from the cunnieform of Sumer. It reads like a Master's Thesis; with a lot of information crammed into a review format. This is the only reason this book gets two stars.The bad part is the second half of this book. It is authored By F. H. Cryer. The second part titled "Magic in Ancient Syria- Palistine - and in the Old Testiment" is so poorly written that I have to question the education of the man who wrote it. One of the MOST glaring ommissions is that Phonecia is COMPLETELY left out. You know; Phonecia; the driving force of religion in the entire middle east for over a thousand years?Phonecia; the civilization that included major goddess and god forms that formed the bulk of middle eastern religion; and with Tanit in North Africa also influencing symbology in Egypt ? None of this is included. To Mr Cryer; apparently none of this existed. The Phonecians are KNOWN to have had major sway over the entire region. Instead; Mr. Cryer has a fitfull expression of the Old Teastiment as "history". In this he does such a poor job of explaination of why the Old Testiment is not a reliable historical document; that he leaves out vast amounts of information that would actually be pertinent to the topic of the series. It comes off as a snit.I have to admit that Cryer's section is so devestatingly bad; that I have come to question the University of Pennsylvania's judgement in offering this series under their imprint. The original was published in Britain. After I apprehended this fact; I understood why the scholarship was so poor. If you are interested in this series I recommend that you skip this volume.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Customergood book fast delivery
