BEYOND THE COURT

I am currently reading a book titled "The Name of War" by Jill Lepore. The book explains the little known, but very brutal war between early colonists and the indigenous population of New England. Lepore explains that one of the broad catalysts to the war was the obvious cultural clash between both groups . As the war escalated and the brutality increased, the English feared that their tactics would be considered uncivilized by the rest of Europe. Their fear stemmed from the understanding that through their ruthless killing of indians they would diminish their godly image such as the Spanish conquistadors had done before them. The English then developed a way to win the war and the hearts of Europe through words. By using English literacy as a weapon they realized that the war would be recorded in the way in which they saw it. The indian population did not publish articles or books throughout the war like the English which gave way for a English biased view of how the war played out. Almost all accounts stemming from English authors down played their brutality and emphasized the "savage" nature of the Indian. This curtain of disinformation led to English solidarity abroad and helped them to maintain their "civil" image. I found this interesting because it proves the power of media even during our earliest stages of American society.