Thesis (M.A.)--Duquesne University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-67) and abstract.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Hannah J. Schmidt, for the Master of Arts degree in History, presented on May 23, 2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. (Do not use abbreviations.) TITLE: Surviving Plymouth: Causes of Change in Wampanoag Culture in Colonial New England MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Kay J. Carr The following research investigates the relationship between the Wampanoag tribe and English colonists of Southeastern Massachusetts throughout the seventeenth century. The Wampanoags, under the leadership of grand sachem Massasoit, were the first people to befriend members of the Plymouth Colony upon their landing in Massachusetts Bay in November 1620. The relationship that was built between the two groups was instrumental in establishing English colonial rule throughout the region that would later expand beyond Massachusetts. The dynamics of this relationship and the subsequent political, economic, and cultural dominance of the English throughout New England led to massive changes in Wampanoag culture and practices. Because of the early timing and unique closeness of their friendship, it is necessary to examine the Wampanoag tribe’s interactions with the colonists as a distinct experience that is, in many ways, specific to their tribe and cannot wholly be a depiction of larger relations between the English colonists and Native American groups of the period. The distinctive nature of the Wampanoag-English relationship is also particularly enlightening to the conflicting dynamic between native perspectives and practices and that which the English colonists brought with them and later imposed. The ideas of each group informed how they interacted with each other throughout the seventeenth century. Upon the establishment of English dominance throughout the region, the ideological frameworks within English settler-colonialism, in conjunction with environmental and other economic influences, threatened traditional Wampanoag culture and practices and led to an immense transformation in Wampanoag ways of living that was both willingly and unwillingly adopted.

This thesis explores how the advent of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 caused Native American identities to become hyper-politicized and manipulated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) Federal Acknowledgment Process (FAP). I use the Ramapough Lenape Nation of New York and New Jersey's 1990's attempt at federal recognition as an example of gaming's pervasiveness in identity debates. I demonstrate that despite the consistent understanding of the Ramapough's Lenni-Lenape ancestry through direct and indirect references since the eighteenth century, the risk of Ramapough gaming in New Jersey caused proponents of Atlantic City, New Jersey's gaming economy to secure an unjust denial of Ramapough sovereignty through interference in FAP proceedings.

This dissertation examines the life and complicated career of Sir James Wright (1716-1785), in an effort to better understand the complex struggle for power in colonial Georgia. Specifically, this project will highlight the contest for autonomy between four groups: Britains and Georgians (core-periphery), lowcountry and backcountry residents, whites and Natives, and Rebels and Loyalists. An English-born grandson of Chief Justice Sir Robert Wright, James Wright was raised in Charleston, South Carolina following his father’s appointment as that colony’s chief justice. The younger Wright attended Gray’s Inn in London and served South Carolina in a variety of capacities, most notably as their attorney general and colonial agent prior to his appointment as governor of Georgia in 1761. Additionally, he had a voracious appetite for land and became colonial Georgia’s largest landowner, accumulating nearly 26,000 acres, worked by no less than 525 slaves. As governor, Wright guided Georgia through a period of intense and steady economic growth and within a decade of his arrival, no one could still claim Georgia to be a “fledgling province” as it had become intricately engaged in a transatlantic mercantilist economy resembling South Carolina and any number of Britain’s Caribbean colonies. Moreover, Governor Wright maintained royal authority in Georgia longer and more effectively than any of his counterparts. Although several factors contributed to his success in delaying the seemingly inexorable revolutionary tide, his patience and keen political mind proved the deciding factor. He was the only of Britain’s thirteen colonies to enforce the Stamp Act of 1765. He also managed to stay a step or two ahead of Georgia’s Sons of Liberty until the spring of 1776. In short, Sir James Wright lived a transatlantic life, taking advantage of every imperial opportunity which presented itself. He earned numerous important government positions and amassed an incredible fortune, totaling over £100,000 sterling. His long imperial career, which delicately balanced dual loyalties to Crown and colony, offers important insights into a number of important historiographic fields.

This dissertation examines the life and conflicted career of Sir James Wright (1716-1785), in an effort to better understand the complex struggle for power in both colonial Georgia and eighteenth-century British Empire. Specifically, this project will highlight the contest for autonomy between four groups: Britains and Georgians (core-periphery), lowcountry and backcountry residents, whites and Natives, and Rebels and Loyalists. An English-born grandson of Chief Justice Sir Robert Wright, James Wright was raised in Charleston, South Carolina following his father’s appointment as that colony’s chief justice. Young James served South Carolina in a number of capacities, public and ecclesiastical, prior to his admittance to London’s Gray’s Inn in London. Most notably, he was selected as their attorney general and colonial agent prior to his appointment as governor of Georgia in 1761. Wright collected more than public offices in his endless quest for respect and social advancement. He also possessed a voracious appetite for land and became colonial Georgia’s largest landowner, accumulating nearly 26,000 acres, worked by no less than 525 slaves. As governor, he guided Georgia through a period of intense and steady economic and territorial growth. By the time of the American Revolution, Georgia had become fully integrated into the greater transatlantic mercantilist economy, resembling South Carolina and any number of Britain’s Caribbean colonies. Moreover, Governor Wright maintained royal authority in Georgia longer and more effectively than any of his North American counterparts. Although several factors contributed to his success in delaying the seemingly inexorable revolutionary tide, his patience and keen political mind proved the deciding factor. He was the only of Britain’s thirteen colonies to enforce the Stamp Act of 1765 and managed to stay a step or two ahead of Georgia’s Sons of Liberty until the winter of 1775-1776. In short, Sir James Wright lived a transatlantic life, taking advantage of every imperial opportunity afforded him. He earned numerous important government positions and amassed an incredible fortune, totaling over £100,000 sterling. His long imperial career delicately balanced dual loyalties to Crown and colony and offers important and unique insights into a number of important historiographic fields.