Tammany: Difference between revisions
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'''Tammany''', also called '''Tamanend''', was a leader of the [[Lenape]] (Delaware) people in the last part of the 17th century. Very little is known about the real Tammany, but stories concerning his purported actions and character converted him into a prominent figure in 18th and 19th century American culture. Among many other manifestations including annual celebrations of "Saint" Tammany, he inspired the foundation of the Tammany Society in New York City in 1789 and he appears in [[James Fenimore Cooper]]'s ''[[Last of the Mohicans]]''. | '''Tammany''', also called '''Tamanend''', was a leader of the [[Lenape]] (Delaware) people in the last part of the 17th century. Very little is known about the real Tammany, but stories concerning his purported actions and character converted him into a prominent figure in 18th and 19th century American culture. Among many other manifestations including annual celebrations of "Saint" Tammany, he inspired the foundation of the Tammany Society in New York City in 1789 and he appears in [[James Fenimore Cooper]]'s ''[[Last of the Mohicans]]''. | ||
What we know of the real Tammany is quite limited. His named appears in no more than a handful of documents produced between 1683 and 1698. As Edwin Kilroe points out, "this brief record of Tammany's dealings with the English settlers … discloses merely a series of business transactions," most of them cessions of land to [[William Penn]].<ref>Edwin P. Kilroe. 1913. Saint Tammany and the Origin of the Society of Tammany: Or Columbian Order in the City of New York. Ph.D. dissertation, Faculty of Political Science, Columbia University. | What we know of the real Tammany is quite limited. His named appears in no more than a handful of documents produced between 1683 and 1698. As Edwin Kilroe points out, "this brief record of Tammany's dealings with the English settlers … discloses merely a series of business transactions," most of them cessions of land to [[William Penn]].<ref>Edwin P. Kilroe. 1913. Saint Tammany and the Origin of the Society of Tammany: Or Columbian Order in the City of New York. Ph.D. dissertation, Faculty of Political Science, Columbia University. p. 20.</ref> Thus, Kilroe observes, "For fifteen years he was in contact with the Whites, but during that period he did not appear as a chief of extraordinary accomplishments or importance; nor does he seem to have made a profound impression on the white settlers, for there is no record that they were awed by the force of his genius or charmed by his personality."<ref>Kilroe, p. 16.</ref> | ||
The legend of Tammany is quite another matter. His persona was widely adopted as a symbol of authentic Americanness and patriotism by Tammany societies that became increasingly popular in the latter part of the 18th century. | The legend of Tammany is quite another matter. His persona was widely adopted as a symbol of authentic Americanness and patriotism by Tammany societies that became increasingly popular in the latter part of the 18th century. This movement appears to have originated with the [[Schuykill Fishing Company]] of Pennsylvania, the traditions of which claimed that the territories in which they hunted and fished had first been the domain of Tamanend.<ref>Philip Deloria. 1999. Playing Indian. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 13.</ref><ref>Kilroe, p. 36.</ref> The club adopted Tammany's supposed motto as their own sometime before 1747 (when it was stamped on a cannon used in the [[American Revolution]]), and it celebrated him as a patron at the opening of the hunting season each year on May first. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references /> | <references /> |
Revision as of 13:57, 21 December 2008
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Tammany, also called Tamanend, was a leader of the Lenape (Delaware) people in the last part of the 17th century. Very little is known about the real Tammany, but stories concerning his purported actions and character converted him into a prominent figure in 18th and 19th century American culture. Among many other manifestations including annual celebrations of "Saint" Tammany, he inspired the foundation of the Tammany Society in New York City in 1789 and he appears in James Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans.
What we know of the real Tammany is quite limited. His named appears in no more than a handful of documents produced between 1683 and 1698. As Edwin Kilroe points out, "this brief record of Tammany's dealings with the English settlers … discloses merely a series of business transactions," most of them cessions of land to William Penn.[1] Thus, Kilroe observes, "For fifteen years he was in contact with the Whites, but during that period he did not appear as a chief of extraordinary accomplishments or importance; nor does he seem to have made a profound impression on the white settlers, for there is no record that they were awed by the force of his genius or charmed by his personality."[2]
The legend of Tammany is quite another matter. His persona was widely adopted as a symbol of authentic Americanness and patriotism by Tammany societies that became increasingly popular in the latter part of the 18th century. This movement appears to have originated with the Schuykill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania, the traditions of which claimed that the territories in which they hunted and fished had first been the domain of Tamanend.[3][4] The club adopted Tammany's supposed motto as their own sometime before 1747 (when it was stamped on a cannon used in the American Revolution), and it celebrated him as a patron at the opening of the hunting season each year on May first.
References
- ↑ Edwin P. Kilroe. 1913. Saint Tammany and the Origin of the Society of Tammany: Or Columbian Order in the City of New York. Ph.D. dissertation, Faculty of Political Science, Columbia University. p. 20.
- ↑ Kilroe, p. 16.
- ↑ Philip Deloria. 1999. Playing Indian. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 13.
- ↑ Kilroe, p. 36.