Centers Indigenous people and voices in the history of the vast expansion of Virginia colonialism into AppalachiaFlocks of Birds is an inclusive and interconnected history of the Virginia colony, one that demonstrates the centrality of Native history to America's colonial history. By delving deep into the primary record, Anthony S. Parent explores the evolving Indigenous response to Virginia colonialism in Native country across three generations, from 1670...

Challenging the generally accepted belief that the introduction of racial slavery to America was an unplanned consequence of a scarce labor market, Anthony Parent, Jr., contends that during a brief period spanning the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries a small but powerful planter class, acting to further its emerging economic interests, intentionally brought racial slavery to Virginia.Parent bases his argument on three historical developments: the expropriation of Pow...

"On the morning of 26 April 1607, three small ships carrying 143 Englishmen arrived off the Virginia coast of North America, having spent four months at sea.... All hoped for financial success and perhaps a little adventure; as it turned out, their tiny settlement eventually would evolve from colony into a prominent state in an entirely new nation." So begins Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: A History of Virginia, 1607-2007 and the remarkable story behind the founding not only of t...

Richard Henry Lee played a pivotal role during the American Revolution, yet he remains one of the most misunderstood revolutionaries. His contemporaries, as well as modern historians, deemed him a political opportunist or dismissed him as an enigma. In bridging the gap between Lee's private interests and public career, J. Kent McGaughy seeks to overturn many of the misconceptions about Lee and shows that, throughout his life, he remained dedicated to his family and public service. By separ...

This study of 19th century commerce and federal oversight "reveals the importance of customs houses in the creation of the federal government" ( Choice).In the wake of the American Revolution, the young nation found itself victorious, liberated, and in millions of dollars of debt. To address this founding financial crisis, the nascent federal government devised a system of taxes on imported goods and installed custom houses at the nation's ports to collect...

**Finalist for the Pulitzer PrizeA compelling, fresh account of the first great transit of people from Britain, Europe, and Africa to British North America, their involvements with each other, and their struggles with the indigenous peoples of the eastern seaboard.**The immigrants were a mixed multitude. They came from England, the Netherlands, the German and Italian states, France, Africa, Sweden, and Finland, and they moved to the western hemisphere for different reasons,...

A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary WarMost Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom. But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were ...

Winner of the Bancroft PrizeIn this brilliantly original book, written for the general reader, the American past becomes richly meaningful to the present.

In 1768, Philadelphia physician Benjamin Rush stood before the empty throne of King George III, overcome with emotion as he gazed at the symbol of America's connection with England. Eight years later, he became one of the fifty-six men to sign the Declaration of Independence, severing America forever from its mother country. Rush was not alone in his radical decision -- many of those casting their votes in favor of independence did so with a combination of fear, reluctance, and even sadnes...

Here is a brisk, accessible, and vivid introduction to arguably the most important event in the history of the United States--the American Revolution. Between 1760 and 1800, the American people cast off British rule to create a new nation and a radically new form of government based on the idea that people have the right to govern themselves. In this lively account, Robert Allison provides a cohesive synthesis of the military, diplomatic, political, social, and intellectual aspects of the ...

This fascinating book is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins. While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even...

In this “triumph of learning and understanding” (James Grant, author of John Adams: A Party of One**), the comprehensive biography of Samuel Adams, the moral compass of the American Revolution. Perfect for fans of Walter Isaacson and David McCullough.**Long overlooked, Samuel Adams was, according to Thomas Jefferson, “truly the man of the Revolution.” Now, with eloquence and insight, Ira Stoll effortlessly illustrates how crucial Adams was...