The Saber and Scroll
The term “ miscegenation ” did not exist in the 1820s when Cooper was writing some of the examined novels . This term was invented in the 1860s , around the same time that the discussion about modern racism was initiated , with an emphasis on “ genetics ” and “ eugenics .” The primary goal was to compensate for the effects of the pending Emancipation Proclamation . 12 Before 1863 , the prominent terms for describing interracial children were mongrelization and amalgamation . Another phrase that Cooper frequently used was “ intermingling of blood ,” which is less derogatory and more neutral . 13
Cooper had a more accepting attitude toward the mixing of races concerning whites and Native Americans . In the Wish of Wept-Ton-Wish , Cooper emphasized the similarities between the settlers and the Narragansetts . This narrative seems to suggest that the similarities between the two races may prove to be the basis for intermarriage and intermingling . Metacom — in Wish — calls Naramattah — the white captive who has married Conanchet —“ One who is neither white nor red .” 14 However , Conanchet later forsakes his wife and child , and spoke about the necessity of keeping the races separated in a poignant speech . Conanchet compared different species of trees and argued that mixing two completely different types of trees that were not meant to grow together had angered the Great Spirit . Cooper was not only opposed to intermarriage outside of his texts but he also emphasized this concept within the boundaries of his fictional works through his characters ’ interactions with different races and the resulting consequences of mixed-race interactions .
James Fenimore Cooper did not approve of slavery . However , he did not engage in a direct attack on the practice itself , especially as it was a decidedly American practice during the nineteenth century . This philosophy was similar to the approach that ordinary Americans took with regard to slavery . Slavery was a practice that was condemned easily and sentenced to a short life of unfortunate necessity . However , outside criticism was unwelcome , as slavery was a pervasive practice within both the North and the South in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries .
Cooper was offended by critiques of the United States and the continued practice of slavery , which was of a contradictory nature when viewed through an international lens . Cooper also defended the treatment of slaves in the United States , arguing that , “ Doubtless there are many abuses , but in general they are at least well clothed and lodged , and far better fed than half the peasants in Europe .” 15 Cooper argued multiple times that the American slave was far better off than the European peasant , in both treatment and conditions of labor . Cooper also argued that if not for the actions of the European colonial powers , slavery would never have been initiated in North America , nor would it have been needed . Further , one of the grievances expressed as a reason for the Declaration of Independence from England was the repugnant nature of slavery ; during the Revolutionary period , Cooper argued ,
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