Killing over Land: Murder and Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier

In early America, interracial homicide—whites killing Native Americans, Native Americans killing whites—might result in a massive war on the frontier; or, if properly mediated, it might actually facilitate diplomatic relations, at least for a time. In Killing over Land, Robert M. Owens explores why and how such murders once played a key role in Indian affairs and how this role changed over time.

Though sometimes clearly committed to stoke racial animus and incite war, interracial murder als...