Incentives to the Study of the Ancient Period of American History An address, delivered before the New York Historical Society, at its forty-second anniversary, 17th November 1846

Delivered before the New York Historical Society in 1846, this thoughtful address invites listeners to step beyond familiar narratives of American history and explore the continent's most mysterious early ages. The speaker charts a broad intellectual landscape, asking whether sophisticated societies existed long before the famed empires of Mexico and Peru, and whether their traces might be found in unexpected places. By framing the inquiry as a noble pursuit, the talk sets the stage for a lively investigation into ancient art, monuments, and the peoples who created them.

Drawing on the emerging fields of ethnology and comparative linguistics, the speaker highlights how language, physical traits, and material culture can link the indigenous peoples of North America to far‑flung civilizations across Asia, Africa, and Europe. He raises tantalizing questions about the relationships between the towering pyramids of the south, the earthworks of the Mississippi Valley, and the broader currents of human development. Listeners will be drawn into the excitement of piecing together these clues, feeling the pull of a deep, shared human story that still awaits fuller understanding.