The Life of William Apess, Pequot by Philip F. Gura (review)

IN THIS CAPTIVATING NEW WORK, Philip F. Gura provides a "straightforward account" of the life and experiences of William Apess (xvi). Gura's narrative is exceedingly well written, and he convincingly argues that scholars should understand Apess as not only a Native American intellectual or a religious figure, but also as an important nineteenth-century reformer. In comparing Apess's influence to that of other reformers, including William Lloyd Garrison, David Walker, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gura affirms that "Apess stood both with this cohort and yet apart and above" as he advocated for Native rights (xiv). Like many of his contemporaries, Apess recognized that the United States was plagued by incessant racial inequality and an overt racism that severely restricted the rights of both Native Americans and African Americans living within it. However, unlike William Lloyd Garrison, who rejected Christianity for its supposed defense of slavery, Apess believed that "Christianity provided Native Americans a set of arguments through which to criticize American society" (47). He used Christianity as a means to call for racial equality and insisted that God did not consider whites an exalted race. Instead, Apess believed that "the Indian's soul, too, is immortal, and God is no respecter of persons" (53). Therefore, Apess reasoned that any attempts to restrict Native Americans or African Americans because of their race was not only fundamentally wrong, but also unchristian.

In addition to challenging the strong racist undertones in nineteenth-century America, William Apess recognized that "the physical and psychological oppression that he knew linked him to all Native Americans" (71). An advocate for all of America's Native peoples, not merely his Pequot brethren, Apess traced the "Puritan legacy," or the attempted subjugation of Native peoples by Euro-Americans—often through acts of violence in an effort to acquire their lands—from the Pequot War through to the experiences of the Mashpee and Cherokee peoples during his own lifetime. Consequently, Gura skillfully connects Apess's work in New England and the Northeast more generally to a larger current of reform that transcended geographical, ideological, religious, and racial boundaries.

Gura's Life of William Apess is much more than a biographical sketch of Apess's life. Although the work has the feel of a biography, it often reads like a social history. By placing Apess within a broader reform movement, Gura sheds light on the complicated and conflicted nature of nineteenth-century American society, particularly in relation to issues of race and citizenship. As a result, although Gura aims to offer a "straightforward account" of Apess's life, he delivers far more. While the work is successful in making these fascinating broader connections, it leaves the reader wanting more background and content. Nonetheless, one must remember that the book's emphasis is on Apess's life and thus is not a detailed general survey of nineteenth-century America. Readers can find a thorough notes section and selected bibliography at the end of the work that should satisfy those looking for historical or historiographical detours. Gura's work is highly recommended to all, but scholars specializing in literary history, Native American history, or the history of the nineteenth-century United States more broadly will find it of particular merit.