This paper examines conflicts over polygamy in early Spanish North America, attending to confrontations occasioned by colonial and missionary contacts. The study of early American polygamy provides a novel perspective and a deeper understanding of concerns with which Americans continue to wrestle: who has the right to regulate and define marriage, and why. It also raises questions about the place of family, kinship, and gender in colonial encounters. This paper argues that disputes over marriage and polygamy were in many cases central to larger conflicts between colonizers and Native Americans. This paper will focus on arguments over polygamy in missions in Spanish colonies in North America.

All papers are pre-circulated electronically to those who plan to attend the seminar in person. For a copy of the paper, e-mail Heather Radke at scholl@newberry.org, or call 312-255-3524. Please do not request a paper unless you plan to attend.

http://www.newberry.org/scholl

The Newberry Library Seminar in Early American History and Culture Co-sponsored by the History Departments of DePaul University, Lake Forest College, Loyola University Chicago, Northern Illinois University, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Karla Scherer Center for the Study of American Culture at the University of Chicago

Coordinated by Betsy Erkkila, Northwestern University and Robert Morrissey, Lake Forest College