Abstract
At the close of the Eighteenth Century the use of presents to obtain loyalty, friendship, neutrality or allegiance was an old story to the nations of Western Europe, dating back to the days of the Greeks and Romans. Later presents were employed for the same purpose in the feudal period and in the campaigns of the Crusaders in the Holy Land. In the early years of the modern era the Portugese used presents to obtain peaceful entry into African ports as prelude to the slave trade. And finally presents were employed in the Americas by all the colonizing powers as a method of obtaining Indian support far less expensive than full scale warfare. In the long run, results were more permanent and far more fruitful.
Recommended Citation
Murdoch, Richard K.
(1956)
"Indian Presents: To Give or Not to Give: Governor Whites's Quandary,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 35:
No.
4, Article 7.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol35/iss4/7
