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Lädt ... 1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracyvon James Horn
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Melde dich bei LibraryThing an um herauszufinden, ob du dieses Buch mögen würdest. Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. James Horn is the President of the James Rediscovery Foundation at the original site of Jamestown, where the first permanent and successful English colony in America was founded. In his latest book, he gives us the history of the fateful year 1619 as it relates to Jamestown and Virginia. As Horn describes colonial Jamestown, it was where the General Assembly, the first representative governing body in America convened in the heat of the summer of 1619. It was meant to be the nascent democracy that would become the United States of America. However, working against that dream were the landowners whose greed was reminiscent of present day. When the need for large quantities of tobacco grew ever larger, the wealthy landowners began chipping away at representative anything in the colony. As one critic warned at the time, “’Extreme liberty…was more perilous to the political and social order than ‘extreme ‘tyranny.” Political leadership was “not deemed suitable for the poor and landless that comprised the vast majority of people in early modern society.” In reading history, one is always struck at how much has changed over the course of hundreds of years—and how much has stayed the same. This short history of Jamestown is not the dry, boring tome of your high school history class. Rather, Horn brings alive Jamestown without boring the reader to tears. Zeige 2 von 2 keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
"1619 offers a new interpretation of the significance of Jamestown in the long trajectory of American history. Jamestown, the cradle of American democracy, also saw the birth of our nation's greatest challenge: the corrosive legacy of slavery and racism that have deepened and entrenched stark inequalities in our society. After running Jamestown under martial law from 1610-1616, the Virginia Company turned toward representative government in an effort to provide settlers with more control over their own affairs and more incentive to invest further in the colony. In late July 1619, the newly-formed General Assembly gathered to introduce "just Laws for the happy guiding and governing of the people." It was the first legislature in America, and history has cast it as the foundation of American freedom and democracy. From that moment on, propertied white colonists became accustomed to freedoms that would have been unthinkable in England. But those very freedoms also permitted the wholesale and largely unchecked exploitation of poor white laborers and non-European peoples. More than nine-tenths of all those arriving in Virginia at this time were brought in some form of servitude or labor contract. This is a pattern we recognize all too well in modern American society-opportunities are not shared, inequality is rampant, racism is systemic. We would like to think these are problems that can be solved by expanding representative democracy; Jamestown teaches us, instead, that these are problems have long been created and encouraged by American democracy. Casting a skeptical eye on deeply-cherished myths, 1619 will be essential reading for anyone struggling to understand the paradox of American freedom."--Provided by publisher. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)975.5History and Geography North America Southeastern U.S. VirginiaKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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Focusing largely on the Virginia Company and the years surrounding 1619, this book looks at social and economic issues strongly intertwined with religion (namely Christianity). Many subjects are examined, including the colonists interaction with natives, slavery, their relationship with the Bristish crown, and more. In the end Horn shows how it relates to and influenced modern day America.
1619 is well-written and (from what I can tell) thoroughly researched. Would recommend to any history buff. ( )