Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Europeans & Native Americans on the Northeastern Coast

by Liz CovartOctober 18, 2016

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When we think of Native Americans, many of us think of inland dwellers. People adept at navigating forests and rivers and the skilled hunters and horsemen who lived and hunted on the American Plains.

But did you know that Native Americans were seafaring mariners too?

Andrew Lipman, an Assistant Professor of History at Barnard College, Columbia University and author of The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast, leads us on an exploration of the northeastern coastline and of the Native American and European peoples who lived there during the seventeenth century.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Andrew Lipman, an Assistant Professor of History at Barnard College and the author of The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast, leads us on an exploration of the northeastern coastline and of the Native American and European peoples who lived there during the seventeenth century.

During our exploration, Drew reveals details about the Native American and European peoples who lived along the New York-New England coastline during the seventeenth century; Northeastern Native American maritime life; And details about the development of the early American whaling industry.

What You’ll Discover

Native American peoples of the early New York/New England coastal region
Native American development of the New York/New England coastline
Native American place names
Northeastern Native American maritime life and watercraft
How northeastern Native Americans viewed the arrival of Europeans
Imperial rivalry between the Dutch and English colonists
How Native Americans and European colonists integrated each other into their economies
How Native Americans forged political alliances with Dutch and English colonists
The Pequot War, 1634-1637
Kieft’s War, 1643-1645
King Philip’s War, 1675-1678
The development of the early American whaling industry

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Andrew Lipman
Drew’s Barnard Webpage
Drew’s Twitter Handle: @AC_Lipman
The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast
Paul Otto, The Dutch-Munsee Encounter in America: The Struggle for Sovereignty in the Hudson Valley
Evan Haefeli, Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield
Nancy Shoemaker, Native American Whalemen and the World: Indigenous Encounters and the Contingency of Race
Nancy Shoemaker, Living with Whales: Documents and Oral Histories of Native New England Whaling History

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if contact between Native Americans and Europeans had somehow taken place on land instead of on the sea? How would the lack of an ocean meeting have affected how Europeans and Native Americans met each other and conducted their relations after their meeting?