Description: "As a fledgling republic, the United States implemented a series of trading outposts to engage indigenous peoples and to expand American interests west of the Appalachian Mountains. Under the authority of the executive branch, this Indian factory system was designed to strengthen economic ties between Indian nations and the United States, while eliminating competition from unscrupulous fur traders. In this detailed history of the Indian factory system, David Andrew Nichols demonstrates how Native Americans and U.S. government authorities sought to exert their power in the trading posts by using them as sites for commerce, political maneuvering, and diplomatic action"--
Brief description: David Andrew Nichols is associate professor of history at Indiana State University.
Review Quotes:
"Nichols has done a terrific job at shedding new light on the complexities of trade and diplomacy between whites and Native Americans. Although the system ultimately disintegrated following the economic turmoil stemming from the Panic of 1819, Nichols's detailed history of the Indian factory system demonstrates how native nations and American newcomers exerted their influence at the trading posts, using the sites for diplomatic, political, and commercial maneuvering, and he has made an important contribution to the field."--Journal of the Early Republic