Book Review: Charles Mann’s 1491
3.5 stars
Charles Mann’s 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus takes on the difficult task of summarizing the history and ecology of North and South America before the arrival of European explorers. Overall, it is a fascinating read as Mann takes the reader on a journey of the progression of archaeological studies and the evolving beliefs about the Americas. He does a good job of bringing us directly into the messiness of history and how messy the recording of that history can be. To do this, he challenges three major historical assumptions: that the Americas were sparsely populated, that their civilizations were relatively new, and that the land was an untouched wilderness.
While I enjoyed the content and information covered in the book, Mann’s journalistic background often seems to favor a sensational narrative over careful history.
First of all, Mann has a tendency to exaggerate his claims. Instead of simply sharing new perspectives, he often adopts an “everything your dumb history book taught you is wrong” tone. Ironically, one of his best overarching points is that directly comparing wildly different cultures with distinct geographical needs is a useless exercise. Yet it is a rule he breaks often. He constantly forces these comparisons to prove how advanced Native societies were, often downplaying European or Asian achievements in the process.
One example is his military analysis. In his eagerness to show the ingenuity of Natives, Mann claims that their cotton armor was just as effective as Spanish steel, or that early colonial firearms were largely just loud and scary, but ultimately less effective than Native bows. While Native armor and weapons were incredibly well-adapted to their specific environment and warfare “meta,” pretending that quilted cloth stops a Toledo steel sword is just wrong and does damage to his credibility.
Another issue is that Mann doesn’t always provide great evidence for his more extreme revisions. When discussing the “High Counter” population estimates or the idea that almost the entire hemisphere was a heavily managed landscape, his arguments rely heavily on interviews with a few selected voices who support his thesis. While he does acknowledge the academic pushback and, overall, gives at least a picture of the scope of scholarly views, he often fails to provide the actual logistical data needed to justify the massive scale of his claims.
Finally, the book’s coda is a frustrating read. Mann argues that the American ideals of individual liberty and the mechanics of the Republic were drawn primarily from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) rather than the European Enlightenment. While it is almost certainly true that Native concepts of personal liberty influenced global philosophy in some ways, forcing a direct mechanical link to the US Constitution is a massive overreach that ignores almost all mainstream constitutional scholarship.
Conclusion
Yet, even with all of those frustrations, 1491 is still worth the read. Covering the often-overlooked history of a vast array of civilizations across two continents is no simple task, and Mann manages to keep it all together in a highly engaging package.
Don’t go into 1491 expecting an authoritative academic history. Instead, treat it as an overview of American ecology, anthropology, and history. It is filled with interesting facts and exposes the reader to many differing views on archaeological progression. Yes, from time to time you may get annoyed with Mann’s narrative-pushing, but the broader understanding you walk away with makes up for it. If a particular chapter starts to drag, just skim ahead. Even the parts I disagreed with helped me better understand the subject, which is exactly what a good book should do.
