Jean Nicolet’s Journey to Wisconsin in 1634

04/02/23 • 41 min

In this episode we tell the story of Jean Nicolet, one of Samuel de Champlain's embedded interpreters. In the summer of 1634, Champlain sent Nicolet to negotiate a treaty with a tribe known to eat their enemies on the shores of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Along the way we consider the first European encounters with cities that today have National Football League franchises, and the fraught question of Nicolet's legendary "Chinese robe," which was depicted on a United States postage stamp in 1934. But the serious question remains: Was Champlain still looking for a northwest passage, or playing geopolitical 3-D chess? [Errata: No sooner did I publish this episode than I realized that John Smith and other Virginians exploring the Chesapeake had certainly reached the site of Baltimore. The latest possible date is Thomas Claiborne in 1631. All such possible visits are obviously earlier than Jean Nicolet reaching Green Bay.] Twitter: @TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook: The History of the Americans Podcast Selected references for this episode Patrick J. Jung, The Misunderstood Mission of Jean Nicolet: Uncovering the Story of the 1634 Journey Norman K. Risjord, "Jean Nicolet's Search for the South Sea," The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2001. David Hackett Fischer, Champlain's Dream Virtual Museum of New France (Cool site, btw)

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Roger Williams Part 3: Into the Wild

Roger Williams has fled into the freezing New England winter of 1636, steps ahead of the law. He makes his way from Salem to Narragansett Bay, spending fourteen weeks schlepping from one Indian village to another, always just beyond the reach of the Massachusetts Bay authorities. Eventually, he cuts a deal with the Narragansett sachem Canonicus, who grants him land at the site of today's Providence, Rhode Island. There, Williams establishes the first civil society anywhere in the Christian world devoted to the complete separation of church and state. It would serve as a refuge of last resort for fugitives of conscience, and establish Williams as one of the great "benefactors of mankind," in the words of the 19th century American historian George Bancroft. Twitter: @TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook: The History of the Americans Podcast Selected references for this episode John M. Barry, Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul Edmund S. Morgan, Roger Williams: The Church and State Edmund S. Morgan, The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop The Providence Agreement of 1637 New England Historical Society - Slate Rock

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Washington Meet-up Details and Some Other Stuff

This is a micro-episode to talk about our forthcoming meet-up in Washington and some other stuff. Our Washington, DC meetup for fans of the podcast will be on Tuesday, April 11 at Aslin Beer Company, 1740 14th St NW. 5:30-7:30. I'll probably arrive earlier than that to grab a table. Send me a note if you're coming! The other stuff is mostly my reflections on the podcast, how much I appreciate you guys, telling the ugly parts, objectivity or not in history, and why I don't provide transcripts. Twitter: @TheHistoryOfTh2 Facebook: The History of the Americans Podcast Other podcasts mentioned in this episode (Apple links) The Rest is History The Other States of America History Podcast [Abridged] Presidential Histories The Fifth Column