The newest addition to the Penguin Library of American Indian History
explores the most influential Native American Confederacy
More than perhaps any other Native American group, the Iroquois found it
to their advantage to interact with and adapt to white settlers. Despite
being known as fierce warriors, the Iroquois were just as reliant on
political prowess and sophisticated diplomacy to maintain their
strategic position between New France and New York.
Colonial observers marveled at what Benjamin Franklin called their
"method of doing business" as Europeans learned to use Iroquois
ceremonies and objects to remain in their good graces. Though the
Iroquois negotiated with the colonial governments, they refused to be
pawns of European empires, and their savvy kept them in control of much
of the Northeast until the American Revolution. Iroquois Diplomacy and
the Early American Frontier is a must-read for anyone fascinated by
Native American history or interested in a unique perspective on the
dawn of American government.