Selected Primary Sources - US History before 1865
Selected Primary Sources - US history before 1865
Partial list of source materials available at Madson Area Technical College Libraries
12 Years a Slave by
Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup is a memoir of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War. He provided details of slave markets in Washington, DC, as well as describing at length cotton cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana.
ISBN: 9781492368281
Across the Plains in the Donner Party by ISBN: 0896460630
American grit : a woman's letters from the Ohio frontier by
" In 1826 thirty-year-old Anna Briggs Bentley, her husband, and their six children left their close Quaker community and the worn-out tobacco farms of Sandy Spring, Maryland, for frontier Ohio. Along the way, Anna sent back home the first of scores of letters she wrote her mother and sisters over the next fifty years as she strove to keep herself and her children in their memories. With Anna's natural talent for storytelling and her unique, female perspective, the letters provide a sustained and vivid account of everyday domestic life on the Ohio frontier. She writes of carving a farm out of the forest, bearing many children, darning and patching the family clothes, standing her ground in religious controversy, nursing wounds and fevers, and burying beloved family and friends. Emily Foster presents these revealing letters of a pioneer woman in a framework of insightful commentary and historical context, with genealogical appendices.
ISBN: 0813122651
American Labor Songs of the Nineteenth Century by ISBN: 0252001877
A Bachelor's Life in Antebellum Mississippi by
"This is a splendid diary of a man and physician during the late antebellum years, sure to interest not only historians of medicine but also historians of gender, the South, and antebellum politics. . . . An exceptionally useful historical document as well as a good read." --Steven M. Stowe, Indiana University Elijah Millington Walker began to keep a diary midway through his medical apprenticeship in Oxford, Mississippi. He composed a lengthy preface to the diary, in which he remembered his life from the time of his family's arrival in north Mississippi in 1834, when he was ten years old, until late 1848, when the University of Mississippi opened and Walker's diary begins. On one level, the diary records the life of a bachelor, chronicling the difficulties of an ambitious young physician who would like to marry but is hampered by poverty and his professional aspirations. Walker details the qualities he desires in a wife and criticizes women who do not measure up; a loyal wife, in Walker's highly romanticized image, remains a true helpmeet even to the most debased drunkard. On another level, Walker describes various medical cases, giving readers an idea of the kinds of diseases prevalent in the lower South at mid-century, as well as their treatment by orthodox physicians. In this vivid chronicle of everyday life in antebellum Mississippi, Walker also finds space to comment on a wide range of topics that affected the state and the region, including pioneer life in north Mississippi, evangelical Protestantism, the new state university at Oxford, the threat of secession in 1849-50, Henry Clay's Compromise of 1850, foreign affairs, and local railroad development. A strong defender of the Union at mid-century, Walker nonetheless defended slavery and distinctively Southern institutions. A Bachelor's Life in Antebellum Mississippi brings to the public one of the few diaries of a very intelligent yet "ordinary" man, a non-elite member of a society dominated by a planter aristocracy. The author's frankness and flair for writing reflect a way of life not often seen; this volume will thus prove a valuable addition to the body of primary documents from the early republic. Lynette Boney Wrenn has taught history at Memphis State University and Southwestern College. She is the author of Crisis and Commission Government in Memphis: Elite Rule in a Gilded Age City and Cinderella of the New South: A History of the Cottonseed Industry, 1855-1955. Wrenn lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.
ISBN: 1572332832
A badger boy in blue : the Civil War letters of Chauncey H. Cooke by ISBN: 9780814333433
Black Hawk : an autobiography by ISBN: 0252723252
A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs by
"These are the memoirs of a black woman who was born a slave, who had the good fortune to gain her freedom early in the war, with the education and ability to observe and the will to recall in later years the significance of the events in which she was a vigorous participant. Susie King Taylor's recollections are invaluable for those who wish to understand the Civil War from the black woman's point of view. ... A treasure in the light of today's feminist movement." (from the Introduction by Willie Lee Rose)
ISBN: 0910129851
Cannibals all! or, Slaves without masters by ISBN: 9781429016438
The Civil War by ISBN: 9781598530889
The Civil War Diary of a Common Soldier by
William Wiley was typical of most soldiers who served in the armies of the North and South during the Civil War. A poorly educated farmer from Peoria, he enlisted in the summer of 1862 in the 77th Illinois Infantry, a unit that participated in most of the major campaigns waged in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama. Recognizing that the great conflict would be a defining experience in his life, Wiley attempted to maintain a diary during his years of service. Frequent illnesses kept him from the ranks for extended periods of time, and he filled the many gaps in his diary after the war. When viewed as a postwar memoir rather than a period diary, Wiley's narrative assumes great importance as it weaves a fascinating account of the army life of Billy Yank. Rather than focus on the noble and heroic aspects of war, Wiley reveals how basic the lives of most soldiers actually were. He describes at length his experiences with sickness, both on land and at sea, and the monotony of daily military life. He seldom mentions army leaders, evidence of how little private soldiers knew of them or the larger drama in which they played a part. Instead, he writes fondly of his small circle of regimental friends, fills his pages with refreshing anecdotes, records troop movements, details contact with civilians, and describes the appearance of the countryside through which he passed. In the epilogue, Terrence J. Winschel recounts Wiley's complex and often frustrating struggle to obtain his military pension after the war. Wiley was an ingenious misspeller, and his words are transcribed just as he wrote them more than 130 years ago. Through his simple language, we come to know and care for this common man who made a common soldier. His story transcends the barriers of time and distance, and places the reader in the midst of men who experienced both the horror and the tedium of war. Winschel's rich annotation fleshes out Wiley's narrative and provides an enlightening historical perspective. Scholars and buffs alike, especially those fascinated by operations in the lower Mississippi Valley and along the Gulf Coast, will relish Wiley's honest portrait of the ordinary serviceman's Civil War.
ISBN: 0807125938
Classic African American Women's Narratives by
Classic African American Women's Narratives offers teachers, students, and general readers a one-volume collection of the most memorable and important prose written by African American women before 1865. The book reproduces the canon of African American women's fiction and autobiography duringthe slavery era in U.S. history. Each text in the volume represents a "first." Maria Stewart's Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality (1831) was the first political tract authored by an African American woman. Jarena Lee's Life and Religious Experience (1836) was the first African Americanwoman's spiritual autobiography. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1850) was the first slave narrative to focus on the experience of a female slave in the United States. Frances E. W. Harper's "The Two Offers" (1859) was the first short story published by an African American woman. Harriet E.Wilson's Our Nig (1859) was the first novel written by an African American woman. Harriet Jacob's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) was the first autobiography authored by an African American woman. Charlotte Forten's "Life on the Sea Islands" (1864) was the first contribution by anAfrican American woman to a major American literary magazine (the Atlantic Monthly). Complemented with an introduction by William L. Andrews, this is the only one-volume collection to gather the most important works of the first great era of African American women's writing.
ISBN: 0195141350
The Colonial Era by
Comprehensive and accessible, this title offers a clear and original framework for studying the important issues in colonial American history. Provides students with more than 60 essential documents on Colonial America Short headnotes introduce each selection Begins with a brief introduction by the editor and concludes with a bibliography designed to stimulate student research Can be used in conjunction with other books in a course or as a stand-alone text
ISBN: 9781405156615
The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader by ISBN: 9781604732191
Daughter of Boston by
In nineteenth-century Boston, amidst the popular lecturing of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the discussion groups led by Margaret Fuller, sat a remarkable young woman, Caroline Healey Dall (1822-1912): transcendentalist, early feminist, writer, reformer, and, perhaps most importantly, active diarist. During the seventy-five years that Dall kept a diary, she captured all the fascinating details of her sometimes agonizing personal life, and she also wrote about all the major figures who surrounded her. Her diary, filling forty-five volumes, is perhaps the longest running diary ever written by any American and the most complete account of a nineteenth-century woman's life. In Daughter of Boston, scholar Helen Deese has painstakingly combed through these diaries and created a single fascinating volume of Dall's observations, judgments, descriptions, and reactions.
ISBN: 0807050350
The Diary and Life of Samuel Sewall by
Comprising daily commentary on major and minor events between 1674 and 1729, the diary of Boston merchant Samuel Sewall is one of the richest personal accounts of early American history. This innovative abridgment allows events to unfold without the distraction of editorial manipulation by presenting one year's complete entries from each of the five decades. The volume draws meaning from potentially mundane journal entries by placing Sewall's experiences in the dynamic context of colonial Boston. A general introduction and thorough text annotations explain the social, religious, and political culture of Puritan New England, while chapter introductions provide overviews of the diary's intervening years. Illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index are also included.
ISBN: 0312177712
Diary of a Common Soldier in the American Revolution, 1775-1783 by
Jeremiah Greenman (1758-1828) was a soldier in the American army during the Revolutionary War. His diary covers the Quebec Campaign, Valley Forge, and various actions in New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
ISBN: 0875805280
Diary of a contraband : the Civil War passage of a Black sailor by
The heart of this book is the remarkable Civil War diary of the author's great-grandfather, William Benjamin Gould, an escaped slave who served in the United States Navy from 1862 until the end of the war. The diary vividly records Gould's activity as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia; his visits to New York and Boston; the pursuit to Nova Scotia of a hijacked Confederate cruiser; and service in European waters pursuing Confederate ships constructed in Great Britain and France. Gould's diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic), but also by its reflections on war, on race, on race relations in the Navy, and on what African Americans might expect after the war. The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative, an annotated version of the diary, a brief account of Gould's life in Massachusetts after the war, and William B. Gould IV's thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.
ISBN: 0804747083- Diary of a contraband : the Civil War passage of a Black sailor by
The heart of this book is the remarkable Civil War diary of the author's great-grandfather, William Benjamin Gould, an escaped slave who served in the United States Navy from 1862 until the end of the war. The diary vividly records Gould's activity as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia; his visits to New York and Boston; the pursuit to Nova Scotia of a hijacked Confederate cruiser; and service in European waters pursuing Confederate ships constructed in Great Britain and France. Gould's diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic), but also by its reflections on war, on race, on race relations in the Navy, and on what African Americans might expect after the war. The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative, an annotated version of the diary, a brief account of Gould's life in Massachusetts after the war, and William B. Gould IV's thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.
ISBN: 0804747083
The Diary of Caroline Seabury, 1854-1863 by
The diary is an illuminating account of southern plantation society and the 'peculiar institution' of slavery on the eve if its destruction.
ISBN: 0299128741
The Early American Republic by
With voices ranging from those of presidents to slaves, from both men and women, and from Native Americans and white settlers, this book tells the story of the first half-century of the United States. Provides students with over 50 essential documents from the Early Republic: the first five decades of the USA Includes lesser-known documents, for example Thomas Jefferson s rules for republican etiquette Incorporates eyewitness testimony from major historical figures, alongside that of ordinary people from the period Includes an introduction, document headnotes and questions at the end of each chapter designed to encourage students to engage with the material critically
ISBN: 9781405160988Publication Date: 2008-09-09
The eloquent president : a portrait of Lincoln through his words by
The fact that Abraham Lincoln is now universally recognized as America's greatest political orator would have surprised many of the citizens who voted him into office. Ungainly in stature and awkward in manner, the newly elected Lincoln was considered a Western stump speaker and debater devoid of rhetorical polish. Then, after the outbreak of the Civil War, he stood before the nation to deliver his Message to Congress in Special Session on July 4, 1861, and, as a contemporary editor put it, "some of us who doubted were wrong." In The Eloquent President, historian Ronald White examines Lincoln's astonishing oratory and explores his growth as a leader, a communicator, and a man of deepening spiritual conviction. Examining a different speech, address, or public letter in each chapter, White tracks the evolution of Lincoln's rhetoric from the measured, lawyerly tones of the First Inaugural, to the imaginative daring of the 1862 Annual Message to Congress, to the haunting, immortal poetry of the Gettysburg Address. As a speaker who appealed not to intellect alone, but also to the hearts and souls of citizens, Lincoln persuaded the nation to follow him during the darkest years of the Civil War. Through the speeches and what surrounded themthe great battles and political crises, the president's private anguish and despair, the impact of his words on the public, the press, and the nation at warwe see the full sweep and meaning of the Lincoln presidency. As he weighs the biblical cadences and vigorous parallel structures that make Lincoln's rhetoric soar, White identifies a passionate religious strain that most historians have overlooked. It is White's contention that as president Lincoln not only grew into an inspiring leader and determined commander in chief, but also embarked on a spiritual odyssey that led to a profound understanding of the relationship between human action and divine will. Brilliantly written, boldly original in conception, The Eloquent President blends history, biography, and a deep intuitive appreciation for the quality of Lincoln's extraordinary mind. With grace and insight, White captures the essence of the four most critical years of Lincoln's life and makes the great words live for our time in all their power and beauty.
ISBN: 1400061199
Eye of the storm : a Civil War odyssey by
An autobiography written by a Union mapmaker who witnessed the worst of the Civil War firsthand, including an account of his experiences during a two-year stay at the notorious Andersonville prison.
ISBN: 0684863650
A fighter from way back : the Mexican War diary of Lt. Daniel Harvey Hill, 4th Artillery, USA by
A welcome addition to the eyewitness sources available to researchers and scholars of the U.S.-Mexican War Born in July 1821, Daniel Harvey Hill grew up in "genteel poverty" on a large plantation in York District, South Carolina. He entered West Point and graduated in the middle of the renowned Class of 1842. Following garrison duty as a junior lieutenant with the First and Third Artilleries, Hill joined the Fourth Artillery at Fortress Monroe in January 1846. Six months later he was en route to Mexico. Published here for the first time, Hill's diary vividly recounts the Mexican War experiences of this proud young officer. He was observant and opinionated, recording details about soldiers, officers, logistics, units, the health of the army, and the progress of the campaign.
ISBN: 0873387392
The Forgotten Expedition 1804-1805 by
At the same time that he charged Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the great Northwest, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned William Dunbar and George Hunter to make a parallel journey through the southern unmapped regions of the Louisiana Purchase. From October 16, 1804, to January 26, 1805, Dunbar and Hunter, both renowned scientists, made their way through what is now northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas, ascending the Ouachita River and investigating the natural curiosity called "the hot springs." Though Dunbar and Hunter's journals have the same value and appeal as Lewis's, theirs have long been out of print and have never been published in a single volume. Their daily accounts now appear together, enhanced by a wealth of useful notes. The team of the "Grand Expedition," as it was optimistically named, was the first to send its findings on the newly annexed territory to the president, who received Dunbar and Hunter's detailed journals with pleasure. They include descriptions of flora and fauna, geology, weather, landscapes, and native peoples and European settlers, as well as astronomical and navigational records that allowed the first accurate English maps of the region and its waterways to be produced. Their scientific experiments conducted at the hot springs may be among the first to discover a microscopic phenomena still under research today. The Forgotten Expedition completes the picture of the Louisiana Purchase presented through the journals of explorers Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike, and Thomas Freeman and Peter Custis. It is a treasure of the early natural history of North America and the first depiction of this new U.S. southern frontier. "Set out at half past six a.m. The morning very foggy on the river & not so cold as yesterday. The banks still rising in height by slow degrees & the land more & more intermixed with sand.... Found on the bank a young Fawn just killed by a Panther, the throat being tore very much. We took it on board & made a hearty meal of it, or two for all hands."
ISBN: 0807131652
Franklin on Franklin by
Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography ends in 1758, some thirty years before he died. Those three decades included some of the statesman's greatest triumphs, yet instead of including them in his memoir, Franklin spent the years continually revising his original text. Paul Zall has created a new autobiographical account of Franklin's entire life. By returning to a newly recovered early draft of the Autobiography, he strips away later layers of moralizing to reveal the story as Franklin first wrote it: how a poor boy from Boston used words and hard work to become America's first world-class citizen. To cover Franklin's career as a diplomat and as the only signatory of all three key documents of the American Revolution, Zall interweaves autobiographical comments from Franklin's personal letters and private journals. Franklin emerges as different from the common perception of him as a crafty "Man of Reason." His raw words reveal the bitter infighting among both British and American politicians and his personal struggle with his son's choice of the opposite side in the fight for the future of two countries. Without the veneer of second thoughts, his lifelong struggle to control his temper carries greater poignancy, as do his later years spent nursing his wounded pride. Susceptible to both fallibility and frustration, the honest Franklin depicted in his own words nevertheless remains an uncommon common man, perhaps even more so than previously thought.
ISBN: 0813122015
From bondage to belonging : the Worcester slave narratives by
First published between 1842 and 1895, the autobiographical narratives gathered in this volume document the experiences of eight former slaves who eventually took up residence in Worcester, Massachusetts. Each narrative tells a gripping individual story, its author clearly visible in the dress of his or her own words. Together they illuminate not only the inhumanity of slavery but also the dreams and dilemmas of emancipation, tracing the personal journeys of seven men and one woman from bondage to freedom. In their well-researched introduction, B. Eugene McCarthy and Thomas L. Doughton situate the Worcester slave narratives within a broader historical framework and analyze their meaning and significance. Drawing on a wide range of sources, they reconstruct the black community of Worcester and compare it with other New England black communities of the time, describing how the town evolved from a society with slaves in the colonial era to a hub for free blacks by the eve of the Civil War. They explain why these writings must be understood as part of a long-established tradition of African American self-representation, and show how the four narratives published before 1865 focus on the experience of slavery, while the four written after the war offer the fresh perspective of living in freedom. Headnotes describe the distinctive literary features of each narrative and provide additional information about the lives of the authors. The editors discuss why these ex-slaves came to Worcester, the circumstances in which each wrote his or her narrative, and the audiences they had in mind. No other collection of slave narratives offers such a diverse range of testimony within a specific historical and literary context, or a more compelling account of the transition from bondage to belonging.
ISBN: 9781558496231
George Washington's Beautiful Nelly by
A life in letter penned by a well-connected daughter of the early republic.
ISBN: 0872497542
Great Pages in History from the Wisconsin State Journal by
This fascinating collection reproduces the most important front pages in the history of the Wisconsin State Journal newspaper, from its first publication under that name on September 30, 1852, to the current War on Terrorism. See what Wisconsinites first read about Abraham Lincoln's election and assassination, Custer's last stand against the Sioux, the first votes by women, Henry Ford's $5 daily wage, the Saint Valentine's Day mob massacre in Chicago, the disappearance of Amelia Earhart as she attempted to fly around the world . . . and the wars, elections, crimes, and social revolutions that have defined the past century and a half. Each front page, reproduced from the original, is readable down to the smallest type. In 2002 the Wisconsin State Journal celebrates its Sesquicentennial, marking one hundred and fifty years of service to the people of Madison and the State of Wisconsin. The newspaper had an earlier inception as the Madison Express in 1839, when Madison was a territorial town on the frontier and statehood was still nine years away. Readers will notice the newspaper's appearance has changed nearly as much as have the methods of gathering the news and producing the paper. But readers' fascination with and hunger for the news of each day remain strong.
ISBN: 0299183343Publication Date: 2002-09-24
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by
An authentic autobiographical account of slave life in the South from the 1820s to the 1840s. To escape sexual exploitation by her master, Brent ran away and hid in an attic crawl space that became her home for seven years of unbelievable physical hardship. Edited by L. Maria Child; Introduction by Walter Teller.
ISBN: 0156443503
The Indian Territory Journals of Colonel Richard Irving Dodge by ISBN: 08061325741878 to 1880. 1878 retreat of the Northern Cheyenne. Arapaho.
The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by
This is an account of the slave trade by a native African, former slave. Olaudah Equiano recounts his kidnapping at the age of ten in Africa, his service as the slave of an officer in the British Navy and his years of labour on slave ships until he was able to purchase his freedom in 1766. As a free man on a Central American plantation, he supervised slaves. Increasingly disgusted by their treatment, he returned to England in 1771.
ISBN: 0140434852
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by
More than just a fascinating story, Olaudah Equiano's autobiography -- the first slave narrative to be widely read -- reveals many aspects of the eighteenth-century Western world through the experiences of one individual. This edition is the first in more than twenty-five years to offer the complete text of the Life together with a comprehensive twenty-page introduction and useful editorial apparatus designed to help students get the most out of this important work. Also included are illustrations, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index.
ISBN: 0312111274
In the Country of the EnemyIn the country of the enemy : the Civil War reports of a Massachusetts corporal by
"Anyone interested in the Civil War along the eastern seaboard--and most especially North Carolina--will applaud the availability of a scholarly, well-edited edition of the Haines book."--Daniel Sutherland, University of Arkansas "The most comprehensive account by a private soldier of the 1862-1863 campaigns in North Carolina."--Civil War Books: A Critical Bibliography Last printed by the ,Boston Herald in 1863, Corporal Zenas T. Haines's dispatches from the Civil War in eastern North Carolina provide a lively, detailed account of the history of a Massachusetts regiment operating in the hostile southern coastal lowlands during the winter of 1862-63. In reports originally prepared for the Herald, Haines follows the organization, training, occupation, and combat service of the 44th Massachusetts from recruitment to mustering out. Observing these citizen soldiers with a journalist's eye for detail and color, Haines describes their motivation, experience in combat, diversions in camp, and perspectives on and reactions to the people and countryside of the Confederate home front through which they passed. Especially valuable are their remarks about slaves (including those enlisting in the African Brigade) and their strong sentiments in support of emancipation and the recruitment of blacks in the Federal army. Haines's reports are important for their on-the-spot history of the entire life span of a regiment of novitiate urban soldiers and their critical role in defeating the Confederate army's effort to drive Union forces from eastern North Carolina. William C. Harris's introduction places these reports in the broader context of the nine-month troops raised by the War Department and provides additional background on the individual men of the 44th Massachusetts, their purposes in joining the regiment, and the history of the war in eastern North Carolina. Virtually unknown by Civil War students and aficionados, Haines's reports expand our knowledge of Union soldiers during the Civil War and provide new insights both on the middle-class urban men who volunteered for service and on the region of the Confederacy in which they operated. William C. Harris, professor of history at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, is the author of seven books on Civil War and Reconstruction topics, including With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union, which was a recipient of the 1998 Lincoln Prize for Civil War scholarship.
ISBN: 0813016789
The Journals of Captain John Smith by
Readers share eyewitness accounts of Smith's capture and imprisonment by the Indians, his explorations of the Chesapeake Bay region, and various other adventures and exploits in the New World. We get a firsthand look at Smith's pivotal role in the founding and governance of colonial Jamestown and his attempts to establish trade relationships with the Native Americans.
ISBN: 9781426200557- The Journals of Captain John Smith by
Readers share eyewitness accounts of Smith's capture and imprisonment by the Indians, his explorations of the Chesapeake Bay region, and various other adventures and exploits in the New World. We get a firsthand look at Smith's pivotal role in the founding and governance of colonial Jamestown and his attempts to establish trade relationships with the Native Americans.
ISBN: 9781426200557Publication Date: 2007-03-20
The Journals of Lewis and Clark by ISBN: 0395859964
Life among the Piutes by ISBN: 0874172527
The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb by
First published in 1849 and largely unavailable for many years, The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb is among the most remarkable slave narratives. Born on a Kentucky plantation in 1815, Bibb first attempted to escape from bondage at the age of ten. He was recaptured and escaped several more times before he eventually settled in Detroit, Michigan, and joined the antislavery movement as a lecturer. Bibb's story is different in many ways from the widely read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave and Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. He was owned by a Native American; he is one of the few ex-slave autobiographers who had labored in the Deep South (Louisiana); and he writes about folkways of the slaves, especially how he used conjure to avoid punishment and to win the hearts of women. Most significant, he is unique in exploring the importance of marriage and family to him, recounting his several trips to free his wife and child. This new edition includes an introduction by literary scholar Charles Heglar and a selection of letters and editorials by Bibb.
ISBN: 0299168948Publication Date: 2001-02-01
Lift every voice : African American oratory, 1787-1900 by
This comprehensive anthology will be the standard source for the study of African American public address for years to come. For Americans of the 19th century, as W. E. B. Du Bois observed, eloquent speeches were 'the shining lights of civilization' that both expressed and sought to improve the lives and communities from which they sprang. Through political speeches, sermons, lectures, oral testimonies, and ceremonial addresses, African Americans offered diverse responses to the issues and events of their times, including not only slavery and racial equality but also women's rights, education, religion, immigration, socialism, war, Indian policy, and labor organization, among others. The speeches in this collection are among the most powerful expressions of African American opinions on these issues and were delivered on occasions and before audiences where the speakers believed their words might be transformative. Lift Every Voice is a completely revised, updated, and expanded version of Philip Foner's 1972 classic Voice of Black America, which Library Journal hailed as "indispensable.""This well-edited and richly inclusive work," wrote Benjamin Quarles, "unveils the full sweep of Black expression as found in platform addresses" by "men and women who join eloquence with reason in articulating their grievances and their aspirations and in arousing their listeners with their ringing and prophetic challenges." This new collection includes over 60 additional texts and revised and expanded introductory essays that provide historical, biographical, and critical information for each speech. Containing more than 150 speeches, this anthology represents the most extensive and diverse collection of African American oratory of the 18th and 19th centuries ever published. Lift Every Voice makes readily accessible not only the classic orations of such well-known figures as Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Booker T. Washington but also dozens of lesser-known but important speeches deserving greater recognition and study. Many of these speeches are previously unpublished, uncollected, or long out of print.
ISBN: 0817309063
Martin R. Delany by
Martin R. Delany (1812-85) has been called the "Father of Black Nationalism," but his extraordinary career also encompassed the roles of abolitionist, physician, editor, explorer, politician, army officer, novelist, and political theorist. Despite his enormous influence in the nineteenth century, and his continuing influence on black nationalist thought in the twentieth century, Delany has remained a relatively obscure figure in U.S. culture, generally portrayed as a radical separatist at odds with the more integrationist Frederick Douglass. This pioneering documentary collection offers readers a chance to discover, or rediscover, Delany in all his complexity. Through nearly 100 documents--approximately two-thirds of which have not been reprinted since their initial nineteenth-century publications--it traces the full sweep of his fascinating career. Included are selections from Delany's early journalism, his emigrationist writings of the 1850s, his 1859-62 novel, Blake (one of the first African American novels published in the United States), and his later writings on Reconstruction. Incisive and shrewd, angry and witty, Delany's words influenced key nineteenth-century debates on race and nation, addressing issues that remain pressing in our own time.
ISBN: 080785431X
Mary Chesnut's Civil War by
"A feast for Civil War buffs.... One of the best firsthand records of the Confederate experience.... Electrifying."--Walter Clemons, Newsweek "Here is a book to curl up with over a whole lifetime--to read and reread, to ponder and savor."--Selma R. Williams, The Boston Globe "A painfully brilliant record of our old America at daggers drawn.... Mary Chestnut's wit and shrewdness, her fierce abhorrence of slavery, her feminist ambitions, maker her observations peculiarly modern... C. Vann Woodward's editing... is exemplary.... He has reacquainted us with a remarkable woman; and she has reacquainted us with the living past."--Andrew Klavan, Saturday Review "Here is the rich and full context, as the author herself recreated it. It is by all odds the best of all civil War memoirs, and one of the most remarkable eye-witness accounts to emerge from that or any other war."--Louis D. Rubin, Jr., The New Republic "Chestnut's prose and insights dazzle. Lively sketches, biting characterizations, entertaining anecdotes, and vivid reflections fill the page."--Catherine Clinton, The Journal of American History "Thanks to [C. Vann Woodawrd], we have the first authoritative text of this great work now revealed as the masterpiece it is; the finest work of literature to come out of the Civil War, perhaps one of the half dozen or so most important diaries in all literature; if you will, a Southern War and Peace."--Reid Beddow, The Washington Post Book World "A great epic drama of our greatest national tragedy."--William Styron, The New York Review of Books Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize in History C. Vann Woodward is Sterling Professor Emeritus of History at Yale University.
ISBN: 0300029799Publication Date: 1993-09-10
Massacre at Bad Axe by ISBN: 9780961100025
The memoirs of Lt. Henry Timberlake : the story of a soldier, adventurer, and emissary to the Cherokees, 1756-1765 by
Lt. Henry Timberlake's Memoirs provide the most detailed account of Cherokee life in the eighteenth century. Timberlake visited the Cherokee Overhill towns for three months in 1761-62 and accompanied three Cherokee leaders to London to meet with King George III and other political figures. He died in September 1765, around the time the Memoirs were originally published. This first modern edition of Timberlake's Memoirs is abundantly illustrated with portraits, maps, and photographs of historical, archaeological, and reproduced artifacts, bringing a new dimension to Timberlake's rich portrayal. Assembled for an exhibit produced by the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, this collection of period artifacts, artwork, and traditional items made by contemporary Cherokee artists is a stunning representation of the material culture--both native and British--of the French and Indian War period. A detailed introduction and extensive editorial notes help interpret this 250-year-old chronicle for the modern reader, drawing heavily from historical research and archaeological investigations of the last half-century while still including insights offered by Samuel Cole Williams in the original American version published in 1927.
ISBN: 9780807831267
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by
'This is a book that should be on the reading list of every course on American history or literature...with its excellent notes, bibliography and appendices, this supersedes other versions available in paperback.' Adam Lively, Times Educational Supplement This new edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is the first prepared especially for American history courses. David W. Blight's extensive introduction and the related materials he provides place the Narrative in both its historical and literary contexts. The book also includes a chronology of Douglass's life, a bibliography, questions for consideration, illustrations, and an index. 'David Blight's introduction to the Narrative provides a rich path into Frederick Douglass's own wonderful story'. William S. McFeely, author of Frederick Douglass.
ISBN: 0312075316
Notes on the State of Virginia by ISBN: 0844623210
Observations on the Wisconsin Territory by ISBN: 0405068875
On Our Own Ground by ISBN: 0870237667
On the Trail to the California Gold Rush by
Lured by "the astonishing accounts of the vast deposits of gold in California," Alonzo Delano (1806-74) of Ottawa, Illinois, bid farewell to his wife and children and joined the rush to El Dorado. For the next five months--April to early September 1849--he persevered in writing his remarkably detailed diary, recounting his experiences among the more than thirty thousand goldseekers representing all thirty states who struggled across half of the continent to California's "gold fields." With each entry the reader is drawn into the changing circumstances, from a hurried trailside burial of a comrade to a defense against an Indian attack; from suffering thirst in the desert to anger at a lazy campmate. Unlike most diarists who at the end of the epic journey gave up their demanding task, Delano continued his vivid account until the summer of 1851. He went on to report as a professional journalist, ranging far and wide across the scenes of life in the diggings and the cities, from prospecting along the Yuba River to witnessing lynch law in San Francisco. First published in 1854 as Life on the Plains and among the Diggings and deemed a California Gold Rush classic, this new edition will carry on the adventure for thousands of new readers.
ISBN: 0803266499
On to Atlanta : the Civil War diaries of John Hill Ferguson, Illinois Tenth Regiment of Volunteers by
Historians have shown us the drama and sweep of the swathe Sherman's March cut through the South. Officers have bequeathed us accounts of what happened in strategic and practical terms. But for a gritty, day-by-day, on-the-ground view of what the march to Atlanta meant to the common soldier, nothing can compare to the diary of an enlisted man like John Hill Ferguson. nbsp; A Scottish immigrant and a U.S. citizen since 1856, Ferguson enlisted in the Illinois Veteran Volunteers in 1860 and shortly afterward began to keep a diary. The annotated entries presented here, from 1864 and 1865, describe life in the Tenth Illinois as the troops made their way through the Carolinas and Georgia under Sherman. In these pages the details of Civil War soldiering become real, immediate, and personal, as do the daily dramas of life on the march. Smallpox struck Ferguson's unit early on, decimating his company; food, when there was any, was invariably poor; and always Confederate defenders waited up ahead, exacting a heavy toll on the advancing Northerners. These events and details, conveyed with all the force of Ferguson's fine intellect and superior powers of observation, offer an unforgettable firsthand view of that savage contest.
ISBN: 080322012X
Pamphlets of Protest: An Anthology of Early African-American Protest Literature, 1790-1860 by
Between the Revolution and Civil War, African-American writing became a prominent feature of both black protest culture and American public life. Although denied a political voice in national affairs, black authors produced a wide range of literature to project their views into the public sphere. The editors examine the important and previously overlooked pamphleteering tradition and offer new insights into how and why the printed word became so important to black activists during this critical period.
ISBN: 0415924448Publication Date: 2000-10-25
A perfect picture of hell : eyewitness accounts by Civil War prisoners from the 12th Iowa by
From the shooting of an unarmed prisoner at Montgomery, Alabama, to a successful escape from Belle Isle, from the swelling floodwaters overtaking Cahaba Prison to the inferno that finally engulfed Andersonville, "A Perfect Picture of Hell" is a collection of harrowing narratives by soldiers from the 12th Iowa Infantry who survived imprisonment in the South during the Civil War. Editors Ted Genoways and Hugh Genoways have collected the soldiers' startling accounts from diaries, letters, speeches, newspaper articles, and remembrances. Arranged chronologically, the eyewitness descriptions of the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Jackson, and Tupelo, together with accompanying accounts of nearly every famous Confederate prison, create a shared vision "
ISBN: 087745759X- A perfect picture of hell : eyewitness accounts by Civil War prisoners from the 12th Iowa by
From the shooting of an unarmed prisoner at Montgomery, Alabama, to a successful escape from Belle Isle, from the swelling floodwaters overtaking Cahaba Prison to the inferno that finally engulfed Andersonville, "A Perfect Picture of Hell" is a collection of harrowing narratives by soldiers from the 12th Iowa Infantry who survived imprisonment in the South during the Civil War. Editors Ted Genoways and Hugh Genoways have collected the soldiers' startling accounts from diaries, letters, speeches, newspaper articles, and remembrances. Arranged chronologically, the eyewitness descriptions of the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Jackson, and Tupelo, together with accompanying accounts of nearly every famous Confederate prison, create a shared vision "
ISBN: 087745759XPublication Date: 2001-05-04
The Portable John Adams by
A new selection of the most significant writings by America's second president In addition to being an uncompromising defender of liberty, esteemed diplomat, and successor to George Washington, John Adams was a passionate and prolific writer. Adams biographer John Patrick Diggins gathers an impressive variety of his works in this compact, original volume, including parts of his diary and autobiography, and selections from his rich correspondence with this wife, Abigail, Thomas Jefferson, and others. The Portable John Adamsalso features his most important political works- A Dissertation on Canon and Feudal Law, 'Thoughts on Government,' A Defence of Constitutions of the Unites States of America, Novanglus' and Discourses on Davila.There is no finer introduction to the protean genius of this seminal American philosopher. 'At last, a manageable volume offers a brilliantly selected and annotated edition of the wisdom of John Adams, the most sardonic of the Founding Fathers.' - Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.
ISBN: 0142437786
The Private Mary Chesnut by
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian C. Vann Woodward and Chesnut's biographer Elisabeth Muhlenfeld present here the previously unpublished Civil War diaries of Mary Boykin Chesnut. The ideal diarist, Mary Chesnut was at the right place at the right time with the right connections. Daughter of onesenator from South Carolina and wife of another, she had kin and friends all over the Confederacy and knew intimately its political and military leaders. At Montgomery when the new nation was founded, at Charleston when the war started, and at Richmond during many crises, she traveled extensivelyduring the war. She watched a world "literally kicked to pieces" and left the most vivid account we have of the death throes of a society. The diaries, filled with personal revelations and indiscretions, are indispensable to an appreciation of our most famous Southern literary insight into theCivil War experience.
ISBN: 0195035135
Reading the American Past, Volume I: To 1877 by
This two-volume primary-source collection provides a diverse selection of voices from the nation’s past while emphasizing the important social, political, and economic themes of a U.S. history survey course. Edited by one of the authors of The American Promise and designed to complement the textbook, Reading the American Past features over 150 documents, each accompanied by a headnote and questions for discussion to encourage students’ understanding of the sources.
ISBN: 031245967X
Rebel Private: Front and Rear by
The recent rediscovery of Rebel Private: Front and Rear, effectively lost for decades, marks an authentic publishing event in the literature of the Civil War. A rare insight into the conflict from the point of view of a Confederate army enlisted man, this compelling memoir has been hailed by historians as a classic and indispensible key to understanding the Southern perspective. Margaret Mitchell even described it as her single most valuable source of research for Gone With the Wind. This stunning document is the work of a common foot soldier blessed with extraordinary perception and articulateness. After joining the famed Texas Brigade under Stonewall Jackson. Private William A. Fletcher saw action at Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Channcellorsville, and Chickamauga. He was wounded several times and escaped from a moving Union prison train before the South's surrender. In 1907, he published this powerfully evocative account of his exploits, a volume of frank, detailed recollections that spares none of the horror, courage, or absurdity of war. But a fire destroyed all but a few copies before they could be distributed. One copy, however, did make its way to the Library of Congress, where it was eventually discovered. Today, this colorful work has become the voice of the Civil War front-line grunt, speaking to the modern reader with the intensity of personal experience and a vividness of detail that gives it a riveting you-are-there quality.
ISBN: 0452011574
Reluctant witnesses : children's voices from the Civil War by
Between 250,000 and 500,000 boy soldiers fought in the U.S. Civil War. Many more children were exposed to the war’s ravages in their home towns--in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Columbia, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Harper’s Ferry, Richmond, and Vicksburg--and during Sherman’s March to the Sea. Based on eyewitness accounts of 120 children, ages four to sixteen, Reluctant Witnesses tells their story of the war: their experience of the hardships they endured and how they managed to cope. Their voices speak of courage and despair, of horror and heroism, and of the bonds of family and community and the powers of faith that helped them survive. Their diaries, letters, and reminiscences are a testimony to the astonishing resiliency in the face of great adversity and their extraordinary capacity to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Like children of contemporary wars, these children from the Union and the Confederacy speak to us across centuries without hate but with the stubborn hope that peace might prevail in the end.
ISBN: 0813328225
Reporting the Revolutionary War by ISBN: 9781402269677
Revolutionary America 1763-1815 : a sourcebook by ISBN: 0415997127
Something that will surprise the world : the essential writings of the Founding Fathers by
The Founding Fathers--Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, Madison. Subjects of seemingly infinite biographies, they are rarely allowed to speak to us in their own words. But it was their words that mattered most to them. As James Madison once wrote, "the biography of an author must be a history of his writings." Here, finally, these towering figures come together in one volume--in conversation with each other, and with us. The Founders were thinking revolutionaries--they read, questioned, debated, and, most of all, wrote. They theorized about government and political institutions; considered the problem of parties and factions; and reflected on religion and education. In this volume, eminent historian Susan Dunn brings together the Founders' most important letters, speeches, and essays and sets them in the context of their lives and times. Through their words, the Founders created the first democracy of the modern world. Their courage, imagination, and genius would never be surpassed. Here they are, in the present tense of their extraordinary lives. To truly understand them, this is where we must begin.
ISBN: 0465017797
The southern mind under union rule : the diary of James Rumley, Beaufort, North Carolina, 1862-1865 by
"I applaud Judkin Browning for identifying this very useful source. The Rumley diary offers a rare glimpse into the mind of an ardent Confederate sympathizer living under Union control."--Richard M. Reid, University of Guelph James Rumley was nearly fifty years old when the Civil War reached the remote outer banks community of Beaufort, North Carolina. Comfortably employed as clerk of the Superior Court of Carteret County, he could only watch as a Union fleet commanded by General Ambrose Burnside snaked its way up the Neuse River in March 1862 and took control of the area. In response to laws enacted by occupying forces, Rumley took the Oath of Allegiance, stood aside as his beloved courthouse was used for pro-Union rallies, and watched helplessly as friends and neighbors had their property seized and taken away. In public, Rumley appeared calm and cooperative, but behind closed doors he poured all his horror, disgust, and outrage into his diary. Safely hidden from the view of military authority, he explained in rational terms how his pledge of allegiance to the invading forces was not morally binding and expressed his endless worry over seeing former slaves emancipated and empowered. This constantly surprising diary provides a rare window onto the mind of a Confederate sympathizer under the rule of what he considered to be an alien, unlawful, and "pestilent" power. nbsp;
ISBN: 9780813034072
Specimen Days and Collect by
Published in 1882, Whitman's uniquely revealing impressions of the people, places, and events of his time, principally the Civil War era and its aftermath, offer a rare excursion into the mind and heart of one of America's greatest poets. His intimate observations and reflections have profoundly deepened understanding of 19th-century American life.
ISBN: 048628641X
Surviving the Oregon Trail 1852 by
The 1852 overland migration was the largest on record, with numbers swelled by Oregon-bound settlers as well as hordes of gold-seekers destined for California. It also was a year in which cholera took a terrible toll in lives. Presented here are firsthand accounts of this fateful year, including the words and thoughts of a young married couple, Mary Ann and Willis Boatman.
ISBN: 0874222370
This Wicked Rebellion by ISBN: 9780870205040
To the Pike's Peak Gold Fields 1859 by
Danger, hardship, and isolation could not turn back the tide of men and women who thirsted for yellow metal. The Pike’s Peak gold rush of 1859 attracted as manynbsp;gold seekers as the more famous California gold rush of the previous decade. In this volume, noted western historian LeRoy R. Hafen has collected invaluable Pike’s Peak gold rush diaries chronicling the struggles, dreams, and heartaches of those who traveled the overland routes to untold riches. The diarists who came along the Arkansas and Platte Rivers and along trails from Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois created records of the landscapes and peoples they encountered as they journeyed. In the words of these single-minded adventurers, larger-than-life characters mingle with the awesome, terrible beauty of the Great Plains and the sparse comforts of the old Middle West. The Pike’s Peak gold rushers provide firsthand accounts of the dangers and rewards of overland travel, as they sought ephemeral fortunes in the Rocky Mountain West.
ISBN: 080327341X
Turn backward, O time : the Civil War diary of Amanda Shelton by
A remarkable story of Amanda's service as a nurse for the Union on the frontlines of the Civil War in 1864, where she battled for her career amidst wounded and dying soldiers. Working alongside a band of nurses of the Special Diet Kitchens, her accomplishments laid the foundation for the value of individualised care - a core concept in nursing.
ISBN: 1889020184
Unfortunate emigrants : narratives of the Donner Party by
The story of the Donner Party remains one of the most tragic and compelling in pioneer history. Johnson gathers many rare early narratives detailing the participants' trying experiences into one of the most accurate accounts to date of this disastrous event.
ISBN: 0874212081
Voices from the Trail of Tears by ISBN: 0895872714
Voices of freedom : a documentary history by
The freedom theme is explored in the words of well-known historical figures and ordinary Americans. Each document is accompanied by an introductory headnote and study questions.
ISBN: 9780393931068
Voices of the Old South : eyewitness accounts, 1528-1861 by
Spanning the period from the earliest European expeditions to the eve of the Civil War, Voices of the Old South assembles a fascinating array of firsthand perspectives on the great events that shaped the region as well as its customs, attitudes, and commonplace occurrences. Encompassing key themes in southern history, the eyewitness accounts Alan Gallay has brought together for this volume are remarkable in their variety. In addition, Gallay's selections reflect a multicultural approach in which African Americans, native Americans, and women are treated not as mere tokens but as major participants in southern life. Unlike many works on the Old South, which tend to focus on the immediate pre-war years, this volume gives equal attention to the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Its geographic definition of the region is notably broad, including not only British America but also French Louisiana, the mountain areas as well as the lowlands, the pine barrens and the cotton belt. While famous names-such as Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and Frances Anne Kemble-can be found here, Gallay also features writings by a number of obscure or less familiar figures. A French carpenter's account of an ill-fated expedition in Florida, a Scottish tradesman's description of the social mores of Georgia and the Carolinas, a free black's journal of daily life in Natchez, Mississippi-these are but a few of the rare and unusual documents excerpted in the book. In his introduction, Gallay explains the diversity of his selections, contending that to identify common threads among particular groups is not enough: we must also understand how the common threads take different forms when they penetrate different subcultures. By allowing the reader to listen to the richly divergent voices of those who lived in or visited the Old South, this collection suggests some fruitful ways of reaching that understanding.
ISBN: 0820315664
Wanted--correspondence : women's letters to a Union soldier by
Wanted-Correspondence is a unique collection of more than 150 letters written to an Ohio serviceman during the American Civil War offers glimpses of women's lives as they waited, worked, and wrote from the Ohio home front. The letters reveal fascinating details of the lives of mostly young, single women--friends, acquaintances, love interests, and strangers who responded to one Union soldier's advertisement for cor respondents. Almost all of the women who responded to Lieutenant Edwin Lewis Lybarger's lonely-hearts newspaper advertisement lived in Ohio and supported the Union. Lybarger carried the collection of letters throughout three years of military service, preserved them through his life, and left them to be discovered in an attic trunk more than a century after Lee's surrender. Women's letter writing functioned as a form of "war work" that bolstered the spirits of enlisted men and "kinship work" that helped forge romantic relationships and sustain community bonds across the miles. While men's letters and diaries abound in Civil War history, less readily available are comprehensive collections of letters from middle-class and rural women that survived the weathering of marches, camp life, and battles to emerge unscathed from men's knapsacks at war's end. The collection is accompanied by a detailed editorial introduction that highlights significant themes in the letters. Together, they contribute to the still-unfolding historical knowledge concerning Northern women's lives and experiences during this significant period in American history.
ISBN: 9780821418055
Wau-Bun : the "early day" in the North-west by ISBN: 0252062329
William Lloyd Garrison and the Fight Against Slavery by
"William Lloyd Garrison and the Fight against Slavery: Selections from The Liberator provides a substantial and wide-ranging selection of writings from The Liberator, the antislavery newspaper founded in 1831 by the preeminent abolitionist of his day, William Lloyd Garrison. The 41 selections offer the opportunity to read and analyze, firsthand, a broad spectrum of Garrison's writings on issues related to slavery. An extensive introductory essay provides historical background on slavery and abolitionism in America as well as a compelling narrative of the events in Garrison's career. Also included are questions to consider when reading Garrison's writings; illustrations, including photographs of Garrison and other famous abolitionists; a chronology of Garrison's life; and a bibliography and index."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 0312103867
A Wisconsin Boy in Dixie by
"Unlike many of his fellows, [James Newton] was knowledgeable, intuitive, and literate; like many of his fellows he was cast into the role of soldier at only eighteen years of age. He was polished enough to write drumhead and firelight letters of fine literary style. It did not take long for this farm boy turned private to discover the grand design of the conflict in which he was engaged, something which many of the officers leading the armies never did discover."--Victor Hicken, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society "When I wrote to you last I was at Madison with no prospect of leaving very soon, but I got away sooner than I expected to." So wrote James Newton upon leaving Camp Randall for Vicksburg in 1863 with the Fourteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Newton, who had been a rural schoolteacher before he joined the Union army in 1861, wrote to his parents of his experiences at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, on the Red River, in Missouri, at Nashville, at Mobile, and as a prisoner of war. His letters, selected and edited by noted historian Stephen E. Ambrose, reveal Newton as a young man who matured in the war, rising in rank from private to lieutenant. A Wisconsin Boy in Dixie reveals Newton as a young man who grew to maturity through his Civil War experience, rising in rank from private to lieutenant. Writing soberly about the less attractive aspects of army life, Newton's comments on fraternizing with the Rebs, on officers, and on discipline are touched with a sense of humor--"a soldier's best friend," he claimed. He also became sensitive to the importance of political choices. After giving Lincoln the first vote he had ever cast, Newton wrote: "In doing so I felt that I was doing my country as much service as I have ever done on the field of battle."
ISBN: 0299024849
A Woman's Wit and Whimsy by
Anna Cabot Lowell Quincy (1812-1899) was a discerning 21-year-old woman of privilege. Although she was respectful in polite comapny, the diary she kept during the summer of 1833 reveals a trenchant and amused view of the affectation of the Harvard community, as well as upper-class Boston life.
ISBN: 1555535747
The woman in battle : the Civil War narrative of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, Cuban woman and Confederate soldier by
A Cuban woman who moved to New Orleans in the 1850s and eloped with her American lover, Loreta Janeta Velazquez fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy as the cross-dressing Harry T. Buford. As Buford, she single-handedly organized an Arkansas regiment; participated in the historic battles of Bull Run, Balls Bluff, Fort Donelson, and Shiloh; romanced men and women; and eventually decided that spying as a woman better suited her Confederate cause than fighting as a man. In the North, she posed as a double agent and worked to traffic information, drugs, and counterfeit bills to support the Confederate cause. She was even hired by the Yankee secret service to find "the woman . . . traveling and figuring as a Confederate agent"--Velazquez herself. Originally published in 1876 as The Woman in Battle, this Civil War narrative offers Velazquez's seemingly impossible autobiographical account, as well as a new critical introduction and glossary by Jesse Alem#65533;n. Scholars are divided between those who read the book as a generally honest autobiography and those who read it as mostly fiction. According to Alem#65533;n's critical introduction, the book also reads as pulp fiction, spy memoir, seduction narrative, travel literature, and historical account, while it mirrors the literary conventions of other first-person female accounts of cross-dressing published in the United States during wartime, dating back to the Revolutionary War. Whatever the facts are, this is an authentic Civil War narrative, Alem#65533;n concludes, that recounts how war disrupts normal gender roles, redefines national borders, and challenges the definition of identity.
ISBN: 0299194248Publication Date: 2003-09-29
The World of Hannah Heaton by
An ordinary eighteenth-century New England woman, Hannah Heaton left an extraordinary document as her legacy. Over a period of 40 years, from the Great Awakening through the Revolutionary War, this farm wife and mother kept a diary recounting her experiences. Now published for the first time, Heaton's diary offers an unparalleled revelation of one American woman's experience of the birth of the nation. Much of her diary records Heaton's spiritual struggles, beginning with her conversion during the Great Awakening and her separation from the established Congregational church. Pious by nature, she recalls her childhood fears of the devil, who at night tempted her away from prayer and told her in a whisper to hang herself. Deeply concerned over her own salvation and that of those she loved, Heaton found comfort in the act of writing, feeling that such self-examination brought her closer to God. Hannah Heaton was devoutly religious and intensely self-aware. Spiritually isolated from her husband and children, and often at odds with her neighbors and church community, she found solace in her journal, which was at times her only friend. She loved her husband deeply, but nonetheless regretted marrying a nonbeliever and yearned for him to become a true spiritual partner. He tolerated her religious convictions but occasionally grew frustrated and even hid her spectacles so that she could not read the Bible. A staunch patriot, Heaton carefully recorded her impressions of the Revolutionary War. Believing the fight for independence was part of God's plan, Heaton, who before the war had scarcely taken note of the political world around her, began to write at length about imperial policy and military engagements. As she wrote of the national struggles, however, she remained equally interested in the intricate details of her own private life: her relationships with kinfolk and neighbors, her domestic struggles, and her personal experiences with disease and death. Heaton's unabridged diary, edited and annotated by Barbara E. Lacey, is an extraordinarily valuable source for scholars and students of colonial history, women's studies, and religion in America.
ISBN: 0875803121
Writing the American past : US history to 1877 by
Writing the American Past reproduces dozens of untranscribed, handwritten documents, offering students the opportunity to transcribe, decipher, and interpret primary sources. Documents include diary entries from Massachusetts in the 1690s, a woman detailing the Great Awakening, an eighteenth-century treaty with Native Americans, a journal describing antebellum train travel, and a letter by a slave Skillfully teaches students to engage with the raw material of pre-1877 US history: the written document An introduction and headnotes to each document contextualize the sources and provide a foundation from which the student can explore the material
ISBN: 9781405163590
