The Johnsons’ Plight: The Role of Captivity on Anglo‐American Identity

The possibility and reality of captivity was one of many parts of the American experience that added to a developing Anglo‐American identity. Using the 1754 captivity of the Johnson family of Charlestown, New Hampshire as the focal point, this article explores the ways in which the fear and insecurity associated with captivity and with captivity stories had an impact on American identity. Individual settlers along the borders of Anglo settlement obtained land and lived with the hope of personal improvement and better lives for their families. But opportunity came at the price of constant insecurity, fear and, occasionally, captivity by Native Americans. Captives discovered that their individual identities were lost and their children were abandoned in bureaucratic efforts caught up in the imperial struggles between Britain and France. Imperial or provincial government authorities seemed powerless to free them. Insecurity inspired adaptability. Many captives became cultural mediators as they negotiated between cultures and created useful networks to assist in obtaining freedom. They were willing to try a range of tactics to mould themselves to the needs of the moment. Captivity narratives and news explicitly exposed the increasingly divergent paths of colonies and metropole. Captivity forged the links of distrust of government, cultural adaptability and greater individual agency with a familial focus and added them to the chain of American identity.