American Indian-White Miscegenation in Early Nineteenth Century American Literature

The mixing of races has been a controversial issue ever since the first European settlers came to North America. This paper focuses on Native Americans and whites and examines how these two races are represented in early nineteenth century American literature. Specifically, it seeks to trace American authors' motivations and goals in their use of Indian-white miscegenation. This thesis discusses novels, short stories, and plays by James Nelson Barker, Charlotte Barnes, Lydia Maria Child, James Fenimore Cooper, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, and Ann Sophia Stephens. All analyzed texts were published between 1808 and 1844 and were written by white authors for a white audience. The time frame of publication coincides with the time of the "real life" Indian Removal of the 1830s and 1840s. This parallel leads to the question why authors would introduce Indian-white couples at this historically volatile time. The in-depth discussion of the literary works suggests that American Indian-white miscegenation in early nineteenth century American literature serves as a trope for social issues pertaining to the white authors' contemporary culture.