The Life of William Apess, Pequot

Name: The Life of William Apess, Pequot
Author: Philip F. Gura
ISBN: 9781469619996

by Philip F. Gura

Published by The University of North Carolina Press

H. Eugene and Lillian Youngs Lehman Series

Publication date: March 02, 2015

eBooks purchased directly from UNC Press will be delivered via Leaf eReader app

ISBN 9781469619996 | 216 Pages, 1 halftone, notes, bibl., index

216 Pages, 1 halftone, notes, bibl., index

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A courageous advocate for Native American rights

The Pequot Indian intellectual, author, and itinerant preacher William Apess (1798–1839) was one the most important voices of the nineteenth century. Here, Philip F. Gura offers the first book-length chronicle of Apess’s fascinating and consequential life. After an impoverished childhood marked by abuse, Apess soldiered with American troops during the War of 1812, converted to Methodism, and rose to fame as a lecturer who lifted a powerful voice of protest against the plight of Native Americans in New England and beyond. His 1829 autobiography, A Son of the Forest, stands as the first published by a Native American writer. Placing Apess’s activism on behalf of Native American people in the context of the era’s rising tide of abolitionism, Gura argues that this founding figure of Native intellectual history deserves greater recognition in the pantheon of antebellum reformers. Following Apess from his early life through the development of his political radicalism to his tragic early death and enduring legacy, this much-needed biography showcases the accomplishments of an extraordinary Native American.

Philip F. Gura is William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His many books include Truth’s Ragged Edge: The Rise of the American Novel and American Transcendentalism: A History, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

“An important and timely biography. . . . Contributes significantly to the rediscovery of Apess.” — American Indian Culture and Research Journal

“Sheds light on the complicated and conflicted nature of nineteenth-century American society, particularly in relation to issues of race and citizenship.” — NAIS: Journal of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association

“Gura makes a compelling case for ranking Apess among well-known nineteenth-century figures who shared his commitment to what we might now call social justice. . . . Make[s] the most of limited historical evidence to bring a truly exceptional figure to life.” — Journal of the Early Republic

“Gura’s work on Apess is truly groundbreaking, and I can’t imagine a biography, Lopenzima’s or any other, superseding it in Apess scholarship.”—American Indian Quarterly

“Engaging and well researched. . . . Sophisticated and accessible, especially as a work of Indian-white history.” — Reviews in American History

“An engaging, insightful, and thoroughly detailed biography.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Engaging well researched . . .sophisticated and accessible.” — - American History

“Well-researched and enlightening.” — Booklist

“This outstanding biography is essential reading for those interested in either Native American studies or American literature.” — Library Journal, starred review

“A readable book that belongs in all undergraduate collections.” — CHOICE

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The Life of William Apess, Pequot