Major Antedating of "Native American"

[Shapiro, Fred]

Here are two more 17th-century citations for "Native American" from EEBO:

1651 Fulke Greville _The Life of the Renowned Sir Philip Sidney_ 127 (Early English Books Online)  And withall, to make the barrenness of _Spain_ more fertile, how he had improved that idle _Castilian_, by imployments, in activeness, wealth, and authority over those vanquished creatures; suffering the poor native _Americans_ to be supprest with heavy impositiions, discouraging idleness, bondage of laws, sheering of the humble sheep to cloath the proud devouring Wolves.

1699 Robert Ferguson _A Just and Modest Vindicaiton of the Scots Design, for the Having Established a Colony at Darien_ 128 (Early English Books Online)  Hereunto may be added, that it is upon the Foundation and _Basis_ of the _Native Americans_, having an Intrinsick and Legal power of receiving Foreigners and _Aliens_ among them, and an indubitable and unquestionable right of allowing them a freedom, to settle in their Countries and within their Territories, either upon the Continent, or in Islands, that all the Plantations of the _Europeans_, and particularly of the _English_ in the _West-Indies_, are rendred Lawful and Just in the sight of God and of men.

Fred Shapiro
Editor
Yale Book of Quotations (Yale University Press)




________________________________
From: Shapiro, Fred
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2012 3:37 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Cc: jester at panix.com
Subject: Major Antedating of "Native American"

In a 1994 article in American Speech, the distinguished lexicographer Sidney Landau used traditional research methods to trace the term "Native American" back to 1909.  I then published a 2001 article in the same journal using online resources to push "Native American" back to 1737.  The OED presently has 1737 as its first use.

Now, however, using a new database search in Early English Books Online, I have found two 17th-century examples of the term:

1645 Thomas Fuller _Good Thoughts in Bad Times_ 158 (Early English Books Online)  I Could both Sigh, and Smile, at the Simplicity of a Native _American_, sent by a Spaniard, his Master, with a Basket of Figgs, and a Letter (wherein the Figgs were mentioned) to carry them both to one of his Masters friends.

1682 R.F. _The Present State of Carolina with Advice to the Settlers_ 12 (Early English Books Online)  Certainly this Climate is destinated to solace the Native _American_, and with the Blessings of Heaven to refresh the solicitous _European_.

Fred Shapiro
Editor
Yale Book of Quotations (Yale University Press)

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