Jefferson and the Indians: The Tragic Fate of the First Americans Book

A neat blend of ethnography, politics and history, this dense book fills a unique place in Jefferson biography. Jefferson's figure is actually relegated to a secondary role here; while his policies are extensively dealt with, they are always done so in the context of the native peoples they affected. This emphasis, as opposed to the tack of viewing Jefferson's policies as an outgrowth of his character, is important for several reasons: first, it reveals that the attitudes and prejudices behind Jeffersonian Indian policy existed on a national scale, and secondly, that they were not necessarily borne out of Jefferson's personal vendetta against Native Americans.
This widened scope has it's drawbacks; it can make following the thread of history difficult, because so many people had a role in Indian policy. It also obscures Jefferson's personal role in the affair. "Jefferson and the Indians" as a title implies a more personal and focused approach than is actually taken.

The book's best parts are what is not implied in the title: the rich array of Native voices, often taken directly from the original texts; Jefferson's extra-political ventures in ethnography; the analysis and criticism of popular sentiment towards Indians, including religious missionary efforts, analyzed separately by denomination. In this area, the book is deep and interesting, if not so different from more general histories. In this way, the book is a more valuable resource on Native American history than on presidential history. The generality I found disappointing, because it wasn't what I was looking for from this particular book, but it's not a bad thing in itself.

With the breadth of scope, a brisker style might have worked better. Wallace can drone at times, blurring the line between academic lecture and narrative history. The personal, human scale of the book is often neglected in favor of a more mechanistic, large-scale perspective so that little is made of the "tragedy" of the story. Still, the point ought to be obvious for any reader with a little patience.

A book for a bird's-eye view of the topic, rewarding with some forbearance for its flaws.