An excellent book, the companion to the WGBH series. I hesitate to call it a history book. It's certainly not a scholarly history book, but nevertheless full of interesting facts.
It does sensationalize and editorialize. Interspersed in the text are "dramatizations" or "short stories" illustrating the historical facts. Of course it's incredibly difficult to treat such a horrific practice as slavery in a totally objective manner.
What I particularly liked about the book were the tidbits of history. There are plenty of quotes and excerpts from primary sources, and it is well worth the price to experience those.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Sunday, July 10, 2005
The Georgia Gold Rush - David Williams
Subtitle: Twenty-Niners, Cherokees, and Gold Fever. A nice small book about a confusing topic. There are so many conflicting claims about the discovery of gold in Georgia that it is nice to see a book that actually goes back to primary sources to try to sort out the truth.
Not that it really matters where gold was first discovered. I am more interested in the accounts of the interactions between Cherokee and prospectors, and this book covers much in that area.
Not that it really matters where gold was first discovered. I am more interested in the accounts of the interactions between Cherokee and prospectors, and this book covers much in that area.
Slavery and the Evolution of Cherokee Society, 1540-1866 - Theda Perdue
An excellent small book that focuses on the issue of slavery and the Cherokees. It examines the traditional role of "slaves" in the pre-historic period and the evolution of the economic practice of slavery for the Cherokees as well as the Cherokees who were sold into slavery. It then examines the activities of the Cherokee nation after removal and in the civil war.
The Road to Disappearence - Angie Debo
A disappointing book that presents a biased and subjective view of Creek Indian history. Compared to "Creek Country" by Etheridge this book is an embarrasement.
For instance, examine the desciption of the beginning of the Creek War, the attack by the creeks on Fort Mims. In this attack 107 soldiers, 160 civilians (women and children) and 100 blacks were killed. Debo has this to say "Owing to the criminal negligence of the commander the attack was a complete surprise." No mention of guilt for the attackers, she places the blame on the commander, who failed to place an adequate quard on the gate. She sums up with "It must be counted to the success of the white man's tortuous diplomacy that it was only a minor faction of a distracted and weakened people that set itself to check the growing power of the young republic."
There are facts presented in the book that make it a useful source, provided that the obvious bias is overlooked.
For instance, examine the desciption of the beginning of the Creek War, the attack by the creeks on Fort Mims. In this attack 107 soldiers, 160 civilians (women and children) and 100 blacks were killed. Debo has this to say "Owing to the criminal negligence of the commander the attack was a complete surprise." No mention of guilt for the attackers, she places the blame on the commander, who failed to place an adequate quard on the gate. She sums up with "It must be counted to the success of the white man's tortuous diplomacy that it was only a minor faction of a distracted and weakened people that set itself to check the growing power of the young republic."
There are facts presented in the book that make it a useful source, provided that the obvious bias is overlooked.
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Creek Country: The Creek Indians and Their World - Robbie Ethridge
This is an excellent book, full of detail, well researched and amply footnoted. I read this as another source for my historical novel.
It is not a history book, but a snapshot of Creek life about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It relies heavily on the correspondance and notes of the Indian Agent Hawkins.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and I really enjoyed the tidbits of truth that can be found here. It is amazing how different the world of the Creeks is than the history I was taught in school.
It is not a history book, but a snapshot of Creek life about the beginning of the nineteenth century. It relies heavily on the correspondance and notes of the Indian Agent Hawkins.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and I really enjoyed the tidbits of truth that can be found here. It is amazing how different the world of the Creeks is than the history I was taught in school.
The Life of Andrew Jackson by Robert Remini
This is the abridged version in one volume. It is also published as a three volume set! There is plenty of detail in the abridged version, especially for my purpose. I am researching another novel, a historical novel set from 1815 to 1838 in the Creek and Cherokee lands.
Naturally I need to have a good understanding of Jackson, his life and politics. This book is perfect for that task. The author doesn't sugar-coat Jackson's life, something that must have been hard to do. I couldn't imagine devoting my life to the study of one man without becoming so attached to the subject that I didn't color the biography with my own bias. Remini has done a good job.
Naturally I need to have a good understanding of Jackson, his life and politics. This book is perfect for that task. The author doesn't sugar-coat Jackson's life, something that must have been hard to do. I couldn't imagine devoting my life to the study of one man without becoming so attached to the subject that I didn't color the biography with my own bias. Remini has done a good job.