Thundersticks: Firearms and the Violent Transformation of Native America

David J. Silverman, professor of history, examines the adoption of firearms by American Indians between the 17th and 19th centuries as a turning point in the history of North America’s indigenous peoples and a cultural earthquake so profound that its impact has yet to be adequately measured. He maintains that firearms empowered American Indians to pursue their interests and defend their political and economic autonomy over two centuries.