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The Transatlantic Constitution: Colonial Legal Culture and the Empire Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a book of serious legal historical scholarship. Ms. Bilder is a Law Professor at Boston College Law School, and holds a Ph.D. in American history from Harvard. As such, portions of it may be heavy-going for the general reader, but enough of the general analysis comes through to make this a valuable resource for anyone interested in the judicary and colonial legal history. At issue is how tiny Rhode Island managed to maintain a very substantial degree of legal autonomy within the British Empire. To answer this query, Bilder focuses upon the central principle of the Empire that while "a colony's laws could not be repugnant to the laws of England [they] could differ according to the people and place" (p. 1). This principle was implemented as to all the American colonies, and gave each colony much maneuvering room to maintain a healthy degree of local autonomy.
While we have an exceptional general overview of London v. colony in Joseph H. Smith's, "Appeals to the Privy Council from the American Plantations," he obviously cannot probe in great detail any individual colony's experience with this system. That Bilder does do in taking up such topics as "Women, Family, Property," "Personnel and Practices" (a very interesting chapter), "Religious Establishment and Orthodoxy," and other issues. Her discussion of the Privy Council and the development of the appeal is particularly effective. Basically, over time, the "repugnance" and "divergence" principle was ambiguous enough to fuel an effective sharing of responsibilities within the Empire (sort of a variant of "salutary neglect"), though over time with the tightening of control from London this flexibility was constricted, prompting the American Revolution.
Bilder's final chapter is probably the most valuable for the general reader and scholars alike. What effect did this experience with the "repugnancy principle" have on the development of judicial review within the new states, the institution of federal judicial review of state and Congressional legislation, and the evolution of federalism? In sum, a very fine contribution indeed by Bilder based upon impeccable research (the notes run over 80 pages) and an impressive command of the topic.

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Sea Venture: Shipwreck, Survival, and the Salvation of Jamestown Review

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(More customer reviews)Very interesting if you are an early US history buff. I learned a lot about Capt. Christopher Newport that I didn't know. Since I live in Newport News, Va which is named after Capt. Newport, I was thrilled to learn how important he was in establishing the Jamestown colony. Our local university is "Christopher Newport U., so I now have more appreciation for that name. This book goes in depth how the events during those years, 1610 - 1620, happened. Most people don't know why the spoken language in Bermuda is English. I came across this book while I was looking for books on Bermuda since I am planning a cruise there. This book also tells a lot about Pocahontas & John Rolfe.

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In one of the most triumphant high sea stories ever told, Kieran Doherty brings to lifethe remarkable true story of the ship that rescued the struggling Jamestown settlement in 1610 and single-handedly ensured England's place in the New World.When the Sea Venture left England in 1609, it was flagship in a fleet of nine bound for Jamestown with roughly 600 settlers and badly needed supplies aboard. But after four weeks at sea, as the voyage neared its end, a hurricane hit devastating the fleet—one ship sank, the rest scattered, and the Sea Venture was shipwrecked on the island of Bermuda. It would take Sea Venture's passengers nearly a year and half to reach their destination. Awaiting them was not the thriving, populated colony they expected, but instead the grim reality of a remaining fifty colonists—beleaguered, desperate, and hungry. But, the question remains, would the English have lost their place in the New World if the Sea Venture had never arrived? A story of strife and triumph, but above all, endurance, Sea Venture begins and ends in hope and remains one of the greatest "What Ifs?" in history. With the bravado of a legendary sea saga, Doherty braves the elements in Sea Venture, delivering a powerful history willed by a people destined to change the New World forever.

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The Lost Constitution Review

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(More customer reviews)After HARVARD YARD, William Martin got up in the morning, got to work, solved the problems that writing a book present and thereby delivers to us his latest work, THE LOST CONSTITUTION. We fans are lucky that Martin himself subscribes to this Yankee work ethic that he extols throughout this book.
I'm always glad when a new William Martin novel is released. I know it will be exciting, a page turner. I know it will be informative. And I know it will be a history lesson, too.
In this new adventure, Martin sets our old friends, antiquarian book dealer Peter Fallon and his sassy girlfriend Evangeline, on the trail of an annotated copy of the Constitution. The stakes are higher in this quest than in his past tales. As important and valuable as the Paul Revere Tea Set from BACK BAY and Shakespeare's missing manuscript from HARVARD YARD might be, they don't have the political or social ramifications of this purloined copy of the Bill of Rights. What were the true intentions of the delegates? How much compromise was there before ratification? This copy smuggled out of Philadelphia might shed light on these issues and others.
Various competing factions within the country - Lefties, Righties, gun nuts, religious zealots - want this document, with margin remarks by Massachusetts delegate Rufus King, because it might bolster their cause or philosophy, which would translate into more power and more credibility. Power and credibility that are worth killing for, as Fallon and Evangeline discover as they track the missing document's movement through time.
This is a new millenium William Martin. His vision is as sharp as the hawks he has lazily soaring above the perimiters of the New England farmlands. There's terrorism in these pages. There's murder and assassination. And a final clash of past and present at Fenway Park during the World Series. There's even a Bingo confrontation! And, of course, there's the history. In this case, the rich tapestry of New England's past, beginning with Shay's Rebellion, as seen through the eyes of Martin's Pike family. The Pikes take us along with them as the document wends its way through New England through the generations. At every step of the way, Martin explores fascinating aspects of New England's past. A past that Martin obviously reveres, which is evident in all of his books. I expect that the most knowledgeable students of New England history will learn a few things from this book...
Somehow, with all of the vying for power and the attempts of opposite sides of issues to secure this document for their own ends, we understand that, ultimately, this Constitution of the United States, with its unique Bill of Rights for us citizens, brings us closer together much more than it divides us. It resonates at every stage of our development as a country. It is vital. It is alive. It will survive bad presidents and worse calamaties than that. It is our great strength. And it's William Martin's strength that he is able to make us see and understand this. THE LOST CONSTITUTION, a quarter century after BACK BAY, is a sterling start to the next William Martin quarter century.

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When The Great Canoes Came Review

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(More customer reviews)This book reveals history through the eyes of the Native Americans as they lived it. History usually details the settling of Jamestown and the Chesapeake Bay area from the viewpoint of the English colonists, and we can only guess at what the Indians experienced. In WHEN THE GREAT CANOES CAME, Clifford shows us their hardships and emotions through the storytelling of the female chief, Cockacoeske, successor to Powhatan, as she relates the tribal history to the boy, Lost Owl, and his friends. The boys are at the age that their ancestors had their huskenaw, or coming of age ordeals and rituals.
While the native language and names are challenging to pronounce and the tribal relations require some effort and concentration to keep straight, the story about this exciting chapter in our history is thought-provoking and compelling.
Cockacoeske describes the days before and after the arrival of the European settlers. The great chiefs, Powhatan and Opechancanough, deal with the invaders to the best of their ability through the harsh weather and the atrocities committed by the English. The story is told through episodes of the Pamunkey everyday life, interspersed with storytelling sessions.
Mary Louise Clifford's extensive research is evident in this footnoted account of 17th-century America. An epilogue tells of the fate of the tribes after the Jamestown Island settlement in 1607. Ten illustrations, a bibliography, map, genealogical chart, and chronology add to the reading experience. This book would be an outstanding extra accompaniment for early American history studies in elementary school or home school to help put that era in perspective.
Meet Powhatan, Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, and other historical legends in a whole new perspective.
Reviewed by: Grandma Bev

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The heritage of the North American Indian tribes has always been passed down through storytelling as well as rituals ofdance and song. Few written histories today can recount the past as well as the tribal elders who once served as the historical, philosophical, and cultural educators of the entire community. Mary Louise Clifford's When the Great Canoes Came recreates this lost practice for young readers as the setting for telling the history of the Virginian Indians following their first contact with European explorers at Jamestown.The storyteller is Cockacoeske, the seventeenth leader of the Pamunkey Indians. A successor of the famed chief Powhatan, she was a strong force in maintaining peace between the natives of North America and the incomingcolonists from Europe. Her stories present the history of the region through a fictitious meeting between herself and the younger members of her tribe. Focusing most of its attention on Jamestown, the book is one of the firsthistories of the settlement from a non-European perspective. It will give children a sense of history that is lacking in most contemporary texts. From the struggles against colonization to the personal triumphs for peace, When the Great Canoes Came is exciting, nail-biting, and enlightening. Suitable as a supplementary text for American history classes or simply for the enjoyment of a good story, Cockacoeske's adventurous tales will capture the imaginations of children.

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The Double Life of Pocahontas Review

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(More customer reviews)The Double Life of Pocahontas is, I think, a very interesting book for those who like Indians,wars,and mixed emotion stories. I recommendthis book for people ages 10 and up. I do this because I think anyone under ten might not understand some of the parts of the book. This book as you might of guessed is about Pocahontas and her life. It starts right before the settlers come. Along the way you'll learn some interesting facts about the Indians and the settlers. First Pocahontas saves John Smith from being killed. He's adopted into the tribe. Then John Smith goes back to London. Things then start to fall apart. The Indians attacked the settlers and the colony falls apart. Pocahontas is then captured and is being converted into Christian. Her father never trys to save her. She marries and is taken to England to met the King and Queen. She wants to stay in England. I won't tell you what happens you'll have to find out for yourself. The author,Jean Fritz,did very good research on this book. If I could I would read it again. This book is great read it now!

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Savage Kingdom: The True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America Review

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(More customer reviews)I came across this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR on the anniversary of the Jamestown colony. From just the few minutes I managed to catch from that conversation the author had me rethinking my vague and mostly uninvestigated thoughts on that early settlement.
Wooley has a great ability to take well researched and documented accounts and weave a compelling narrative without overly indulging in fantasy or sketches compiled of heresay or assumptions.
What took me in about this book was just how much Byzantine politics and motives the early administrators of the colony had coming over from England. (i.e aliases, spies, traitors, defectors, etc.)
If you are interested in what the first steps were in The New World before Declarations and Revolutions and why they were made, I would check this out. It's an essential foundation if you are, like me, consuming our countries earliest intentions and ambitions that led us to where we are now.

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A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America Review

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(More customer reviews)We will hear more about the founding of Jamestown, Virginia, as its 400th anniversary approaches in 2007. The anniversary will perhaps restore a balance. According to James Horn, in his stimulating history _A Land as God Made It: Jamestown and the Birth of America_ (Basic Books), many Americans have forgotten Jamestown. They believe that the Pilgrims founded America, but that was in 1620. Even with the appeal of the Jamestown stories of John Smith and Pocahontas, the birth of our nation in Virginia (part of the backwater South) was relegated by professional historians to a status secondary to that of New England (part of the progressive North). The Pilgrims were originally aiming for Virginia, but they missed (or they had a last minute change of plans). It was Jamestown that was the first enduring colony in America, and Jamestown that put into practice three basic principles: "private property in land, a representative assembly for ordering local affairs, and civilian control of the military." Jamestown also was the starting point for slavery in America, and for vicious wars against the indigenous peoples. As Horn notes, America would have been vastly different if Jamestown had failed, and it could have failed at any number of points in its history. This scholarly book, largely through first-hand sources, puts the colony in its rightful place.
Among those first 144 colonists was Captain John Smith, who got into trouble even before landing; he was accused by the leaders of the expedition of plotting "to usurpe the government, murder the Councell, and make himselfe kinge." It isn't clear what the real problem was, but time and again, Smith showed enormous arrogance (an "Ambityous, unworthy, and vayneglorious fellowe") and dissatisfaction when commanded by those he considered less competent than himself (everyone). He was able to stay in the colony less than three years before its leaders sent him back to Britain, never to return. It might have been that British investors in the Virginia Company would have profited from more of his leadership. Smith was a pragmatist who wanted the colony on a sound agricultural footing. The investors, however, were interested in quick riches from finding gold, made moral by bringing the Protestant faith to the Indians. The Company made a huge mistake in neglecting the "smokie weed of Tobacco," which was becoming popular in Europe but which the Company regarded as nothing but a fad. An organized Indian revolt in 1622 hit almost all the English settlements in 1622. By the next year, the Company could not keep its own charter, which was revoked in 1624 and given to the Crown.
"The Virginia Company had collapsed," writes Horn, "not the colony." It was not clear that the Crown would support continuing the settlement, but in 1625 Charles I affirmed that he would keep and protect it as he would all of his other dominions. The Crown supported tobacco growing, as well as economic supports for trade in the weed, and Virginia finally turned a profit. John Smith's idea that vigorous worldwide trade would keep the colony going proved true. Faded were the aims of quickly finding gold, and also lost was the vision of a Christian empire in the new world that would make all the Indians Protestants and form a bulwark against Catholic Spain. As a strictly commercial venture, Jamestown failed, but commerce redeemed the colony; Horn's fascinating and detailed book is a story of human activity in many guises but always fundamentally for profit. That was the basis for the start of our land, and for better or worse has never lost its claim on us.

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Love and Hate in Jamestown: John Smith, Pocahontas, and the Start of a New Nation Review

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(More customer reviews)With apologies to Peggy Lee and Walt Disney, they didn't -- but the story of the Indian princess saving Captain John Smith's life is true. In fact, she saved his life on several occasions. But, in the end, believing Smith to be dead, she married another Virginia colonist, John Rolfe, who was not a bad sort although a bit of a prig.
This is the story of the British colony in Virginia from its founding in 1607 until its near destruction by the Indians and reconstruction in the 1620s. Captain John Smith was only in Virginia for the first few years of the colony, but he saved it from disaster over and over again. Surrounded by idle aristocrats who wanted to search for gold rather than grow corn, Smith adopted the no-nonsense policy that those who didn't work didn't eat. Many of the numerous "gentlemen" in the company preferred death to work -- and realized their desires.
I was surprised at how humane and idealistic were the aims of the parent company of Jamestown back in Britain. The company advocated peaceful coexistence with the Indians and there was much criticism of Smith's more aggressive -- and practical -- strategy. In retrospect, it is amazing that Jamestown survived as it was reduced to near nothingness on several occasions by starvation, disease, and Indian attacks. One of the chapters tells of the arrival of the first Negro slaves in the colony -- an ominous portent for the future.
For me the most interesting chapter of the book was about Pocahontas in England and her single meeting after a long separation with John Smith. I was especially amused at the author's speculation that Pocahontas was appalled at the unhealthy and squalid living conditions of the British in London at that time. She died soon afterward, a shame because her memoirs would be even more fascinating than those of Smith. "Love and Hate" is a well-researched and well-written book about a couple whose names will forever be linked in folklore and history.
Smallchief

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