"Peace and Friendship" � these powerful words are emblazoned on the back of silver peace medals given by American presidents to chiefs of important Native American tribes in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The U.S. government negotiated with powerful chiefs to secure their political allegiance against other colonial powers (Great Britain, France and Spain) and to create trading partnerships. "Peace and friendship" was a noble phrase, but one that that rarely described the real interactions between the government and Native tribes.

Beautiful examples of the artistry of coins and medals, these peace medals selected from the Gilcrease collection are most notable for their historical significance. They serve as important symbols of the turbulent times that saw the birth of the American nation and its rise to world prominence. Peace medals also represent promises, kept and broken, made by our government to Indian peoples across the continent.

To read the complete article, see:Peace Medals: Symbols of Influence and Prestige in North America(www.gilcrease.utulsa.edu/Explore/Exhibits/Future-Exhibits/Peace-Medals)

Peace Medals
Negotiating Power In Early America

Contributions By: John W. Adams, Bruce W. Arnold, George J. Fuld, Frank H. Goodyear III, Duane H. King, Skyler Liechty, Tony Lopez, F. Kent Reilly III, Barry D. Tayman

Edited By: Robert B. Pickering
ILLUSTRATIONS: 54 COLOR AND 17 B&W ILLUS.
PUBLISHED: 2012
HARDCOVER ISBN: 9780981979946
128 PAGES, 9" X 10"

The contributors, including numismatic historians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and museum curators, explore how the American government used the medals in negotiations with powerful chiefs to secure trading partnerships and political allegiance against European colonial powers, and also discusses British, French, and Spanish medals as part of European negotiating strategies to create Indian allies on the American continent. The origin of peace medals and their synchrony with tribal traditions demonstrate how these high-status emblems evolved, while an examination of medals in a contemporary context reveals their continuing historical importance.

Peace Medals is richly illustrated with paintings and historical photographs that depict rarely seen images of British, French, and Spanish medals in addition to a selection of American medals. Taken together, the articles provide an expansive view of medallic artistry from the eighteenth to the twentieth century and offer new insights into their history. Most of the images are from the extraordinary collections of the Gilcrease Museum.

To read the complete article, see:Peace Medals: Negotiating Power In Early America(www.oupress.com/ECommerce/Book/Detail/1651/peace%20medals)