Primus Pilus Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 I have just recently started reading "Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War" by Nathaniel Philbrick and wanted to share what a fascinating account of early American colonization/Indian relations that it is. Not only is it appropriate for this time of year (as we close in on the Thanksgiving holiday here in the States), but this is the sort of history that is often glossed over or delegated to the third/fourth/fifth etc. tiers of important subject matters. Frankly, I am only a few chapters in, but I don't feel at all inappropriate in suggesting that this is a must read for anyone interested in the early colonial period of North America. Generally I find myself focusing on the Revolutionary period through the Civil War when reading on American history (when I occasionally take a break from Rome of course) but I am thrilled to have drifted back into this earlier period. From what I have read so far this is not a "European colonists were evil while Native Americans were victims" revisionism, nor is it the opposite account of European supremacy and Native American savagery. It is simply a balanced and honest portrayal of history direct from the sources... good, bad and indifferent. I may be jumping the gun by posting this so early into my own reading experience, but I can't wait to get home and continue reading. Mayflower: Amazon reviews and such Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pertinax Posted October 31, 2006 Report Share Posted October 31, 2006 Just the sort of text ive been looking for, "King Philip's War " is the sort of historical remembering that should be pushed into the full glare of academic daylight (and popular rediscovery).This sort of uncovering of the non-romantic is what all idealists should be exposed to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spittle Posted October 31, 2006 Report Share Posted October 31, 2006 (edited) While your reading your Mayflower book keep an eye out for any mention of the passenger Francis Cooke. He was the ancestor of James Butler Hickok (Wild Bill Hickok) according to 'The Real Deadwood' but I'm dubious about the claim. Edited October 31, 2006 by spittle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosmo Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 Why is this considered the glorious beginning of colonisation and US birth when Virgina was already a flourishing colony? I guess it's northern bias, but maybe it's more to it. I'm fascinated by that period between the early discovery voiages along the coast until the last war against the french. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 Why is this considered the glorious beginning of colonisation and US birth when Virgina was already a flourishing colony? I guess it's northern bias, but maybe it's more to it.I'm fascinated by that period between the early discovery voiages along the coast until the last war against the french. It's not the beginning... its just the early period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M. Porcius Cato Posted November 3, 2006 Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 Yes, but why do we celebrate those puritanic theocrats instead of the more fun-loving Virginians or the more industrious Dutch settlers of Manhattan? Surely, New Amsterdam was a much more (modern) American city than backward Plymouth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2006 It may seem to be the forefront in cultural identity at times (thanks largely to the Thanksgiving traditions and such scenes as the Salem witch trials), but is Jamestown (complete with John Smith, Pocahantas, John Rolfe, Powhatan, etc.) any less famous? So as not to neglect the southern contributors to early colonialism... I will also be delving into this in the not too distant future. Jamestown: The Buried Truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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