1491

Published in 2005, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus was written by Charles C. Mann. A companion work, 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, was released in 2011. The first chapter introduces many of the problems and inadequacies surrounding popular accounts of native societies. The author describes the tendency to minimize the cultures that existed prior to the arrival of Europeans. Native cultures are seen as simpler and less sophisticated than contemporary European societies. The reason for this, Mann believes, is as much cultural chauvinism and Eurocentrism as it is simple ignorance. This ignorance, Mann argues, creates both positive and negative misrepresentations of the diversity and impact of native civilization.

Chapter 2, "Why Billington Survived" tells the story of Tisquantum, also known as "Squanto," and his aid to the Pilgrims. Mann expands the historical context of Squanto’s story. "Billington"—the surname of a settler and an ancestor of Mann himself—survives only because of Tisquantum's aid to the colony. Mann's account of this aid provides the political significance behind Tisquantum's act, as well as how his own personal story influenced his motives. Mann highlights how traditional accounts of the story tend to ignore the convoluted politics of the tribes of the region, as well as Tisquantum's own complex motivations.