![]() Far from being an isolated incident, the conflict arises again and again. Yet, at the same time, the inability of Apess to obtain a desired position within the Methodist Church reveals the racism within its leadership (pg. This theme is amplified in the political speech "Eulogy for King Philip," where Apess pointedly asks "have you the folly to think that the white man, being one in fifteen or sixteen, are the only beloved images of God?" and proclaims "My image is of God. After meeting, I returned home with a heavy heart, determined to seek the salvation of my soul" (pg. My spirits were depressed, my crimes where arrayed before me and no tongue can tell the anguish of soul I felt. It removed all my excuses, and I freely believed that all I had to do was to look in faith upon the Lamb of God, who made himself a free-will offering for unregenerated and wicked souls, upon the cross. No one can conceive with what joy I hailed this new doctrine, as it was called. I felt assured that I was included in the plan of redemption with all my brethren. For Apess, Christianity provides an argument for equality and a motivation for personal accountability that little else does: "I felt convinced that Christ had died for all mankind that age, sect, color, country, or situation made no difference. 37) - situates Apess alongside Frederick Douglass in the civil rights literature, too.Īlthough readers might find evangelical passages tedious to read, they are very important toward understanding the conflict some American Indians felt (and feel) toward a religion that disenfranchises some and empowers others. ![]() At the same time, the gradual unfolding of personal pride - especially the point, at age 18, when he becomes "determined to have my rights this time, and forever after" (pg. Even psychologists and social workers may gain insights from Apess's ongoing struggle with alcoholism, for he points toward the despair and environmental factors which lead him to drink (pg. American Indian Studies scholars will appreciate his anger over whites seizing Native land and the national myth about Pilgrim righteousness (pg. Sociologists who are studying or teaching about internalized racism will no doubt get mileage from passages in "A Son of the Forest" about the beating young Apess received from his grandmother and the self-loathing he felt as a child (pgs. ![]() Other important backdrops are African American slavery and abolition, as well as the removal of various Eastern American Indian tribes (the well-known Cherokee being only one of many), which lent real urgency to Apess's arguments for Native rights.įor someone born in the late 1700s, Apess has very modern sensibilities. I would add that the Early National Period, a time when the American Constitution and Bill of Rights were being written, our national government was being formed, and when America defended itself against British encroachment, was an era steeped in discussions of the nature of humanity and civil liberties. O'Connell helps us understand all these contexts. ![]() Importantly, "A Son of the Forest" (the first text of the three) can be read as a Christian conversion narrative, a slave (actually, indentured servant) narrative, a soldier's memoir, a sentimental novel, or a political tract. This book is "teachable" in many ways, and editor Barry O'Connell deserves kudos for providing biographical details and historical context that greatly facilitate an understanding of Apess and his work. This collection of 3 writings - "A Son of the Forest," "The Experiences of Five Christian Indians," and "Eulogy on King Philip" - all written in the 1830s, should be required reading for any college course that focuses on American Indian history or America during the early 19th century. Another reviewer called William Apess's A Son of the Forest a "lost classic" and I agree entirely. ![]()
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