History in Review - Never Come to Peace Again, by David Dixon

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History in Review

Never Come to Peace Again. Pontiac's Uprising and the Fate of the British Empire in North America
By David Dixon. Vol. 7 in the Campaigns & Commanders Series. (Norman, University of Oklahoma Press: 2005. Pg. xvii. 353. 23 B & W Photos, 1 Map.) ISBN: 0-8061-3656-1.

Reviewed by Sheldon Ztvordokov - May 23, 2005

Never Come to Peace Again - Pontiac's Uprising and the Fate of the British Empire in North America is an in-depth discourse on Pontiac's Uprising. (The Uprising is also known as Pontiac's Rebellion, Pontiac's Conspiracy, and Pontiac's War). Written by David Dixon, Professor of History at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, this book provides one of the best and most comprehensive overview of Pontiac's Uprising. In addition to exploring the actual events surrounding the uprising, Dixon also examines the effect that the uprising had on the potency of the British forces and the long ranging impact that the uprising had on the course and eventual outcome of the American Revolution.

Pontiac was an Ottawa chief who led a confederation of tribes that consisted of the Chippewa, Delaware, Huron, Miami, Ottawa, Potawatomie, Seneca, and other tribes that joined together in rebellion against the British. In the long run, this rebellion was quelled, but the damage that the uprising had on the British was to have a direct impact on the rise of revolutionary fervor throughout the American colonies. Dixon examines how this failed uprising served to give the American colonist the feeling that the British were vulnerable and how they acted upon these feelings.

Never Come to Peace Again is the seventh volume in the University of Oklahoma Press' The Campaigns and Commanders series. As such, the text focuses upon the military history surrounding Pontiac's War and the leaders who lead the forces on both sides. A horrific period in time, this conflict was noted for its viciousness and the numerous atrocities committed by all involved, and for the seeds of future conflict that were strewn during the conflict.

Never Come to Peace Again takes the reader on a fascinating journey from the later days of the Seven Years' War to the beginning of the American Revolution, a journey which ably illustrates how the two conflicts were linked together by Pontiac's Uprising. Many readers will find that this text provides fresh insights into the causes of the American Revolution, and that it provides a fascinating glimpse into a pivotal, but often overlooked period in colonial history.

Well suited for use as supplemental texts in college-level history courses, this text includes informative endnotes and a practical bibliography that provides direction for further research into this conflict. General readers will also find the text accessible and enlightening. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in pre-revolutionary American history.

Related Reviews:

War Under Heaven - Pontiac, The Indian Nations, & The British Empire, by Gregory Evans Dowd.
An innovative analysis of Pontiac's War, including its causes, and consequences.

Crisis of Empire: Great Britain and the American Colonies 1754-1783, By Ian R. Christie.
In this book, Christie attempted to give a brief, but a thorough, chronological overview of the causes and the consequences of the American Revolution. Dealing primarily with the period from 1754-1783, Christie, also included a terse review of the historical background which precipitated the settlement of the colonies, their general histories, and the events which laid the ground work for the crisis.

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