Warrior Nations Summary

Thesis

In Warrior Nations: The United States and Indian Peoples, Roger L. Nichols aims to provide readers a unique account on various wars, by focusing on the reasons behind each one and by detailing how each conflict effected other, farther away conflicts. . Nichols also provides six main attributes that were the main instigators of war. These attributes are:

• Americans intolerances towards Indians and their actions that reflect that.

• Americans continuous demands for Indian’s land.

• The government’s inability or unwillingness to punish those who inflicts injury in violence.

• Indians militarize nature and the ceremonies that reflect their high opinions of physical conflict.

• Indian men were require to protecting their clan and acting

out revenges.
• Indians unwillingness to give up their lands, culture, traditions, and tribal independence.
These attributes helps provide a deeper understanding of American-Indian relations in the time 19th century. It also allows for readers to learn about the mistakes that’s causes the various conflicts, and provides a more detail lesson then plainly giving cold hard facts. He does this by comparing eight conflict that had vastly different reasons behind them.
Due to the complicated analysis of Indian/American relation the author wrote about, Warrior Nations is obviously not made for kids and young teens in mind. The purpose of this book is to educated and expand on the reader’s history knowledge. More than like, it is going to be someone who is already interested in history, especially military and political, and wants to expand on it. Not to say the average Joe cannot read it, but it does cater to those interested in history.
Summary
Each chapter contains a deep analysis of one of the following wars: Ohio Valley War, Red Stick War, Arikara War, Black Hawk War, Minnesota Sioux War, Cheyenne and Arapaho War, Chiricahua Apache War, and Nez Perce War. Though these wars do have some similarities, each one have their own unique reasons for occurring. There is a heavy emphasis on the reasons of the war and how it comes about. The actual war is barely touched on, comparatively.
Nichols uses a general formula to organize his chapter.

Each chapter begins with background information that leads up to the war, the reasons for the war, and actions and decisions the various leaders taken that led to events that will lead to a snowball effect that ends with the war. The usually takes a good two thirds of the chapter. Once the readers have an establish understanding of the whys, Nichols would finally sum up the war in two pages. This organization formal was effective as the main goal of “Warrior Nations” is to provide a greater understanding of the reason behind each conflict and why the American and the Indians did what they did.

To support his claims and evidence, he uses a hodgepodge group of sources. What is notable is that he uses United States government own documentation on the event and people’s first hand, written account of each event. Yes, Nichols uses books and articles, but he also went and got official, fact check documentation and first hands account of what happened in each war/conflict. As stated, Nicholas main goal is to provide reasons behind the conflict. The best way to provide these reasons is from the very people themselves.

Analyze of Strengths and

Weaknesses
The whole point of this book is provide a deep understanding of the reasons for the conflict. This book nails it and then some! Most books only provide cold facts, never interlocking the events together besides a very general statement that the events are between Indians and Americans. This book defiantly did not do this and it made it a very compelling to read. The author was about to make each conflict related in some unexpected ways and provide the motivation of those involve in the conflicts.
One example was relating the Red Stick War with the Ohio Valley War. Nicholas explains that the federal government was more focus on what was happening at the Ohio Valley than what is happening in Georgia. This leads to Georgia officials in negotiating with the Creeks and allowing for American militia to join into the civil war between the Creeks and the Red Stick warriors. A different outcome might very well might have occur if the federal government intervene instead of a more local solution.
While Nicholas provided an excellent account on the reasons and motivation of those participating in the event, he falls short in the actual details of the war itself. On the Cheyenne and Arapaho War, he sums up the actual war in only two paragraphs. However, going in it was obvious the author focus was what leads up to the fighting and not the actual conflict itself.
The fact Nicholas looks at what causes the event than what happens during it provides a unique outlook. He was also able to interlink events to other, creating an understanding that local conflicts does affect other events outside the immediate vacancy. While most analysis would make each event sound isolated and unrelated to other conflicts, Nicholas manages to stand out from the crowd and paints a more complete picture of the cause and effects of a conflict.
Relating to HST 3600 Class
The book expanded on a few items that were covered in class, and also gives a more detail account on the thought process of Americans at key points of time. For instance, one lesson was about what occur in Ohio and America-Indian relation, and how the Indians join with British to stop the expansion of America. Warrior Nations gives us a more detail insight on why the Indians took up arms against Americans and how the federal and local government responded to their actions.
Another key point mention in class was how the United States had a weak standing Army, unreliable militia, and an ineffective bureaucracy.

If the United States had a strong standing Army, a lot of these conflicts would have been dealt with either by force or a better diplomatic system. The treaties and negotiating that were delay due to bureaucracy and how chaotic and confusing the system was and how long it takes for anything to be approve of.

Thought out the whole book, Nicholas alludes or outright stating what he ends up concluding at the end: that the Indian-American Wars were unavoidable due to several key factors. Both groups we unwilling to accept the other’s culture and both lay claim to various lands and resources. Americans constant insistence of Indians giving up their traditions and how they were unwilling to accept Indians in their fold. How unappealing the Indian’s future looked due to Americans intervention and how Indians fled while others decided to defend their settlements and their beliefs.

Conclusion
Roger Nichols gave an in-depth account on American-Indian conflicts and how they come about. He explores eight key battles and how there are overarching factors that causes each battle. While Nichols did not go into great detail on individual battles in a specific war, he did accomplish what others did not: providing the reasons and motivations of those that went to war. Some of the reasons were covered in class, though it was defiantly not in as great as detail as Nichols was able to accomplish. Overall, a great book. Warrior Nations was a very enjoyable read, and Nichols accomplish what he set out to do: creating an intellectual analysis of the reasons behind the various wars and how they interlock.