1. Immigration and the Middle Ground

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we look at immigration to North America and the 'Middle Ground' in this period. This period saw a number of groups fighting for control of the Old Northwest. This created a space in which Native Americans had to accommodate many different types of European settlers in what has become known as the 'Middle Ground'. While these interactions often sparked conflicts they also created social and economic opportunities for Native Americans and European settlers.

Course

In this course, Professor Stephen Rockwell (St. Joseph's College, New York) explains how and why migration and immigration to and within North America caused competition and conflict over the period 1754-1800. We start by looking at immigration to North America and the 'Middle Ground' in this period. We then turn to look at the French and Indian War for control and influence of the Middle Ground. The next two modules will look at how Britain and later the US tried to control their populations and how these strategies were resisted. In the penultimate module we will discuss the unsteady nature of the early Republic. Finally, we will explore slavery and population movement in the early Republic.

Lecturer

Stephen J. Rockwell is a Professor of Political Science at St. Joseph's College, New York. He specialises on a number of areas including: national institutions; public administration; race, ethnicity and politics (including American Indian affairs and immigration issues); and American political development more generally. He has written a number of books including Indian Affairs and the Administrative State in the Nineteenth Century and How Big Government Won the West.