Bücher von William Bartram

William Bartram's journeys around North America in the late 18th century crossed through much of what was then Native American territory.In the 1790s when this book was first published, the United States was newly formed and was expanding beyond its original thirteen colonies. However, American settlement into the distant lands beyond the Appalachians was limited and gradual. The vast expanse of land was unknown, and much was inhabited by Native American tribes. Determined to traverse and discover the lands of North America, William Bartram set out from the city of Philadelphia, making his way toward the south of the continent. Along his way he describes the wilderness terrain, rivers, landscape and peoples he meets. Many of the Native American tribes he encountered were welcoming, viewing Bartram as a strange curiosity. He would join the natives to eat at feasts, observing their lives and customs, learning their dialects and eventually gaining their trust and friendship.

William Bartram's journeys around North America in the late 18th century crossed through much of what was then Native American territory.In the 1790s when this book was first published, the United States was newly formed and was expanding beyond its original thirteen colonies. However, American settlement into the distant lands beyond the Appalachians was limited and gradual. The vast expanse of land was unknown, and much was inhabited by Native American tribes. Determined to traverse and discover the lands of North America, William Bartram set out from the city of Philadelphia, making his way toward the south of the continent. Along his way he describes the wilderness terrain, rivers, landscape and peoples he meets. Many of the Native American tribes he encountered were welcoming, viewing Bartram as a strange curiosity. He would join the natives to eat at feasts, observing their lives and customs, learning their dialects and eventually gaining their trust and friendship.

The son of a naturalist, William Bartram (1739-1823) was commissioned to undertake a tour of south-eastern North America in 1773. Collecting seeds, taking specimens and making meticulous drawings and observations of previously unknown flora and fauna, his four-year expedition took him from the foothills of the Appalachians, through Florida and on to the Mississippi. First published in 1791, within ten years this account had been translated into German, French and Dutch. A unique historical record now, and of particular interest at the time, his accounts of the Seminole, Creek and Cherokee Indians were seen by contemporaries as being sympathetic towards peoples commonly regarded as little better than savages, but his writings persuaded others of the need for a more humane approach to the indigenous people. This work influenced not only scientists, but writers such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, and it remains a classic of American science, history and literature.