To the Farthest Gulf for the Wealth of India: Firsthand Experiences of American Travelers in India

Abstract

My essay analyzes the experiences of Americans in India from the colonial period to the emergence of the United States as a nation in the 18th century and further into the nineteenth century when the nation consolidated its identity through commerce, religion and race discourse. I trace these three moments in the joint history of America and India through the life and travel writings of a few key figures. Through the letters of Nathaniel Higginson, the Salem-born man who eventually became Governor of Madras in 1692, we can trace the social and political dealings of a New England based administrator in the colonial era. In the second period, in the aftermath of the American revolution, there is a great interest in India from a newly formed United States, that can be seen in the exploits of American travelers such as Bartholomew Burges. In the nineteenth century there was a further escalation of the ties between India and America that is seen in the story of Calvin Smith, a civil war veteran who traveled to India and worked in the then popular ice trade, sharing his perspectives and experiences of living in India for five years. Finally, in the mid to late 19th century, evangelical America and the Liberal Christian movement spread Christianity to other nations through missions, reaching India.