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Digital Paxton: Digital Collection, Critical Edition, and Teaching Platform

Nathan Currier colored lithograph of William Penn's treaty with the Indians

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Contents of this path:
1. Virginia (1624)
2. Cantonment of His Majesty's Forces in N. America (1766)
3. Conestoga Manor (1717)
6. Kort beskrifning om provincien Nya Swerige uti America (1702)
9. Massacre of the Conestogas (1841) Events in Indian history: beginning with an account of the origin of the American Indians, and early settlements in North America, and embracing concise biographies of the principal chiefs and head-sachems of the different Indian tribes, with narratives and captivities ... also an appendix containing the statistics of the population of the U. States, and an Indian vocabulary. Illustrated with eight fine engravings.
11. Peace Medal (1757) Presentation medal with the bust of King George II on the obverse and, on the reverse, a Quaker holding a peace pipe at a council fire with an Indian. Duffield, a clockmaker, engraved the die; the silversmith Richardson struck it. It was the first peace medal made in America. Benjamin Franklin and members of the Friendly Association would distribute these medals to Native Americans as tokens of goodwill. Inscription: "LET US LOOK TO THESE MOST HIGH WHO BLESSED OUR FATHERS WITH PEACE. 1757."
12. Nathan Currier colored lithograph of William Penn's treaty with the Indians
13. Paxton Presbyterian Church Paxton Presbyterian Church, Paxtang, Harrisburg, Pa. Congregation formed around 1732. This building erected 1740 is the oldest Presbyterian church in continuous use in Pennsylvania. An historic spot closely identified with early Colonial history and the American Revolution. Chapel erected in 1905, enlarged 1923. Marker shows location of early log church. Postcard produced by the Albertype Company, which operated between 1890 and 1952.
14. Penn Wampum Belt (1682 Shackamoxon treaty)
15. Penn's Treaty with the Indians (c. 1830-1835)
16. Penn's Treaty with the Indians (1771-72) Commissioned by Thomas Penn, son of Pennsylvania's founder, this painting depicts a legendary meeting between William Penn and members of the Lennie Lenape tribe at Shackamaxon on the Delaware River. Honoring his patron's and his own Quaker heritage, West employed a Neoclassical style to suggest both visual and political harmony. By depicting the three factions that shaped Pennsylvania for most of the eighteenth century - Native Americans, Quakers, and merchants - united in the act of settlement, West created a powerful symbol of peace. Although the scene is allegorical rather than historical, the image has become an icon of American history.Benjamin West was the first American-born artist to earn acclaim outside his homeland. West was born in Springfield (now Swarthmore), Pennsylvania, and his early artistic promise encouraged Philadelphia's leading citizens to finance his training in Rome. Subsequently, in 1763 West traveled to London and never returned to the Colonies. His acclaim as a painter of historical scenes attracted the attention of King George III. West was appointed official history painter to the king and was a founder and later was elected president of the Royal Academy. Well aware that, as an American, he was a novelty, West used this mystique to his advantage, claiming that he had learned color mixing from Native Americans. He greatly contributed to American art in his role as teacher and advisor to the many early American artists who came to London to study with him.
17. Plat of the Seven Ranges of Townships (1814)
18. Disposition of the Pennsylvania Troops (1764)
19. Susquehannock Fort (1671)

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Introduction 105 Will Fenton image_header 603801 2018-12-06T14:15:40-08:00
Welcome to Digital Paxton. This site isn't only a digital collection dedicated to a massacre, but also a window into colonization, print culture, and Pennsylvania on the eve of the American Revolution.

The “Paxton” in Digital Paxton refers to a little-known massacre in colonial Pennsylvania.

In December 1763, a mob of settlers from Paxtang Township murdered 20 unarmed Susquehannock Indians in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. A month later, hundreds of "Paxton Boys" marched toward Philadelphia to menace and possibly kill more refugee Indians who sought the protection of the Pennsylvania government. While Benjamin Franklin halted the march just outside of Philadelphia in Germantown, supporters of the Paxton Boys and their critics spent the next year battling in print.

The Paxton Boys accused the Conestoga Indians of colluding with the Ohio Country Lenape and Shawnee warriors who were attacking Pennsylvania's western frontier, a charge that had no basis in fact. Their opponents accused the Paxton Boys of behaving more savagely than the Indians they had killed.

The pamphlet war that followed in 1764 was not so different from the Twitter wars of today. Pamphleteers waged battle using pseudonyms, slandering opponents as failed elites and racial traitors. At stake was much more than the conduct of the Paxton men. Pamphleteers staked claims about colonization, peace and war, race and ethnicity, masculinity and civility, and religious association in pre-Revolutionary Pennsylvania.

Digital Paxton began in Spring 2016 when Will Fenton partnered with the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to digitize both institutions' rich holdings related to the Paxton massacre. Originally conceived as a way to make those records freely accessible via the web, the site quickly expanded to include primary source materials from no fewer than 16 different archives, research libraries, and cultural institutions; a dozen contextual essays from leading historians and literary scholars; and educational materials from secondary and post-secondary educators.
- Jump to Credits.
As of December 2018, the site features 2,489 pages of material, including 16 artworks, three books, 17 broadsides, 123 manuscripts, 26 newspaper issues, 69 pamphlets, and nine political cartoons, many of which have never before been digitized. More than one-third of that collection (90 records) is fully-transcribed and searchable, and new transcriptions are added on a regular basis.
- Jump to the Digital Collection.
The site also includes several secondary and post-secondary lesson plans, 12 contextual essays written by leading historians and literary scholars, including six historical overview essays and six conceptual keyword essays, and a crowd-sourced transcription platform.
- Jump to Keywords.
- Jump to Pedagogy.
- Jump to Transcriptions.
Will Fenton has presented Digital Paxton at numerous archival, digital humanities, and public events, and the project has been featured in American Quarterly, Common-place, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Jump to Public Outreach.
You can expect significant changes and expansions to Digital Paxton over the next two years. Supported by a major grant to the Library Company of Philadelphia by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Redrawing History: Indigenous Perspectives on Colonial America will connect Native American artists with the Library Company's rich collections and far-reaching scholarly community. The project features three key components: an educational graphic novel, a national educators' seminar, and an exhibition, accompanied by a series of public programs. To learn more about future plans, follow Digital Paxton on social media or visit its dedicated webpage.
- Jump to Redrawing History.
To learn more about how to use Digital Paxton, follow this path to "Using Digital Paxton," listed below Contents. To get involved in the project, contact Will Fenton.