American history is taught and learned. He urges us to “face east from Indian country” and to consider the Native American point of view about American history. Richter wrote that the goal of the book was “to outline stories of North America during the period of European colonization rather than of the European colonization of North America,” (Richter, p. 9). It is important for a student and a historian to be able to consider both sides of every story and to account for the arguments and flaws with every viewpoint. As the old adage states, “history is written by the victors,” and, while this is not always true, it is still a solid reminder that some histories are less known about than others, but that does not make them less true or less valid.

It is also important when facing east from Indian country, to realize that there are many societies of Native Americans who all had different opinions about the events in America at the time. The importance of knowing the perspective of the Native Americans becomes most abundantly clear when discussing wartime in America, more specifically the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War.

In the French and Indian War, the French and the British fought over control of the eastern side of continental North America. Many Native American societies aligned with their closer trading partners, while others decided that neutrality was the best path forward. However, those who fought did so with their own motivations. For example, the Abenakis joined the French due to British encroachment onto their land.

Later in the 1700s, the Revolutionary War broke out between the British and the British colonies in America, now the United States. Once again, Indians were forced to choose a side and hope that they wer