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Independence Day: July 4, 2009


The Birth of America: From Before Columbus to the Revolution

"In this provocative account of colonial America, William R. Polk explores the key events, individuals, and themes of this critical period. With vivid descriptions of the societies that people from Europe came from and with an emphasis on what they believed they were going to, Polk introduces the native Indians encountered in the New World and the black Africans who were brought across the Atlantic. With insightful analysis, he also discusses the dual truths of colonial societies' ""growing up"" and ""growing apart."" As John Adams would point out to Thomas Jefferson, the long years that witnessed the formation of our national character and the growth of our spirit of independence were indeed the real revolution. That story forms the basis of The Birth of America. In addition to its discussion of the influence the British had on the colonies, The Birth of America covers the pivotal roles played by the Spanish, French, and Dutch in early America. From the fearful crossing of the stormy Atlantic to the growth of the early settlements, to the French and Indian War and the unrest of the 1760s, William Polk brilliantly traces the progress of the colonies to the point where it was no longer possible to recapture the past and the break with England was inevitable. America had been born. "

Freedom Just Around the Corner

A powerful reinterpretation of the founding of America by a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian. The creation of the United States of America is the central event of the past four hundred years," states Walter McDougall in his preface to Freedom Just Around the Corner. With this statement begins McDougall's most ambitious, original, and uncompromising of histories. McDougall marshals the latest scholarship and writes in a style redolent with passion, pathos, and humour in pursuit of truths often obscured in books burdened with political slants. With an insightful approach to the nearly 250 years spanning America's beginnings, McDougall offers his readers an understanding of the uniqueness of the "American character" and how this character has shaped the wide ranging course of historical events. McDougall explains that Americans have always been in a unique position of enjoying "more opportunity to pursue their ambitions䳨an any other people in history." Throughout Freedom Just Around the Corner the character of the American people shines, a character built out of a freedom to indulge in the whole panoply of human behaviour. The genius behind the success of the United States is founded on the complex, irrepressible American spirit. A grand narrative rich with new details and insights about colonial and early national history, Freedom Just Around the Corner is the first instalment of a trilogy that will eventually bring the story of America up to the present day, a story epic, bemusing, and brooding.

Island at the Center of the World, The

In a landmark work of history, Russell Shorto presents astonishing information on the founding of our nation and reveals in riveting detail the crucial role of the Dutch in making America what it is today. In the late 1960s, an archivist in the New York State Library made an astounding discovery: 12,000 pages of centuries-old correspondence, court cases, legal contracts, and reports from a forgotten society: the Dutch colony centered on Manhattan, which predated the thirteen "original" American colonies. For the past thirty years scholar Charles Gehring has been translating this trove, which was recently declared a national treasure. Now, Russell Shorto has made use of this vital material to construct a sweeping narrative of Manhattan's founding that gives a startling, fresh perspective on how America began. In an account that blends a novelist's grasp of storytelling with cutting-edge scholarship, The Island at the Center of the World strips Manhattan of its asphalt, bringing us back to a wilderness island--a hunting ground for Indians, populated by wolves and bears--that became a prize in the global power struggle between the English and the Dutch. Indeed, Russell Shorto shows that America's founding was not the work of English settlers alone but a result of the clashing of these two seventeenth century powers. In fact, it was Amsterdam--Europe's most liberal city, with an unusual policy of tolerance and a polyglot society dedicated to free trade--that became the model for the city of New Amsterdam on Manhattan. While the Puritans of New England were founding a society based on intolerance, on Manhattan the Dutch created a free-trade, upwardly-mobile melting pot that would help shape not only New York, but America. The story moves from the halls of power in London and The Hague to bloody naval encounters on the high seas. The characters in the saga--the men and women who played a part in Manhattan's founding--range from the philosopher Rene Descartes to James, the Duke of York, to prostitutes and smugglers. At the heart of the story is a bitter power struggle between two men: Peter Stuyvesant, the autocratic director of the Dutch colony, and a forgotten American hero named Adriaen van der Donck, a maverick, liberal-minded lawyer whose brilliant political gamesmanship, commitment to individual freedom, and exuberant love of his new country would have a lasting impact on the history of this nation.

One Day in History: July 4, 1776

On a summer day in July, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the world changed forever. On July 4, thirteen English colonies on the continent of North America decided to declare themselves free and independent states, united in their purpose of forming a new nation. The approval of that decision on July 4 represented the culmination of lengthy debates. As the delegates filed into the State House on Thursday, July 4, tempers were flaring. Despite entreaties from others, the New York delegation continued to balk. They had no instructions from the state and could vote against the resolution. Furthermore, it looked as if the two delegates from Delaware were deadlocked. Unless Caesar Rodney arrived in time for the vote, July 4, 1776, promised to be just another day of delay and political wrangling. One Day in History: July 4, 1776 is a look at how one day changed the course of history; in this case, a day that produced a new nation. Grave consequences beyond the Declaration of Independence flowed from the day's events. This reference sets out in 100 articles, written by noted historians, the details of the day in history, its causes and consequences, and how the actions of July 4 resonated throughout the colonies. The words and logic of the declaration approved on July 4, as well as larger events surrounding that decision, shaped the destiny of the world, creating a new nation that would build on the principles enumerated in the document. The day is examined in its historical context, with articles ranging from ""African Americans"" to ""Colonies or States"" to ""Daily Life in 1776"" and ""Dunlap's Broadsides."" Here, in one complete reference, is a ""you were there"" experience of what it was like to be in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Moreover, this book represents the cumulative effect of ""one day in history"": the United States as we know it today, some 230 years later.

Big Chief Elizabeth: The Adventures and Fate of the First English Colonists in America

*Big Chief Elizabeth* is the swashbuckling story of the extraordinary attempts by English adventurers to claim, divide, and colonize what would be the biggest jewel in Queen Elizabeth's crown: North America.

Common Sense

The seminal work Common Sense was the first publication to candidly ask for the United States' liberty from British rule. Written for the common man in 1776, it uses simple language to push for man's basic right to freedom. Like Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery, it remains historically relevant today and is a must-read for all Americans.

Benedict Arnold's Navy

An epic story of one man’s devotion to the American causeIn October 1776, four years before Benedict Arnold’s treasonous attempt to hand control of the Hudson River to the British, his patch-work fleet on Lake Champlain was all that stood between British forces and a swift end to the American rebellion.Benedict Arnold’s Navy is the dramatic chronicle of that desperate battle and of the extraordinary events that occurred on the American Revolution’s critical northern front. Written with captivating narrative vitality, this landmark book shows how Benedict Arnold’s fearless leadership against staggering odds in a northern wilderness secured for America the independence that he would later try to betray.Praise for James L. Nelson:"James Nelson is a master both of his period and of the English language."--Patrick O'Brian, author of Master and Commander"James L. Nelson tells this story with clarity and literary skill and with such ease and order that the reader feels he is attending a dissertation on history given by a consummate lecturer."--Ron Berthel, Associated Press, on Reign of Iron: The Story of the First Battling Ironclads, winner of the American Library Association’s 2004 Award for Best Military History"It is, by far, the best Civil War novel I’ve read; reeking of battle, duty, heroism and tragedy. It’s a triumph of imagination and good, taut writing . . . "--Bernard Cornwell on Glory in the Name, winner of the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award

The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States

The Declaration of Independence was the promise of a representative government; the Constitution was the fulfillment of that promise.On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued a unanimous declaration: the thirteen North American colonies would be the thirteen United States of America, free and independent of Great Britain. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration set forth the terms of a new form of government with the following words: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."Framed in 1787 and in effect since March 1789, the Constitution of the United States of America fulfilled the promise of the Declaration by establishing a republican form of government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, became part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791. Among the rights guaranteed by these amendments are freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the right to trial by jury. Written so that it could be adapted to endure for years to come, the Constitution has been amended only seventeen times since 1791 and has lasted longer than any other written form of government.From the Paperback edition.
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