The Dividing Paths: Cherokees and South Carolinians through the Era of Revolution Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Dividing Paths" by Tom Hatley is a commendable work of scholarship concerning Cherokees and South Carolinians in the colonial period. It is well researched with many quotes from primary sources. The book surveys Cherokee culture and interaction with South Carolinians in matters of trade, religion, intermarriage and kinship, and war. It should serve as a valuable reference for anyone studying Cherokee history or the colonial history of the southeastern United States.
The strongest part of this work is Hatley's description and research of the various military campaigns of the South Carolinians against the Cherokees. The reasons for going to war, the specific events of the campaigns, and their devastating results are explored with proper detail. Hatley gives account of the Yamassee War beginning in 1715, the three campaigns of the so-called "Cherokee War" from 1759-1761, and Cherokee and South Carolinian conflict with each other during the American Revolution. Through Hatley's narrative, insights and colorful quotes are also obtained on some of the prominent figures of the times: Governor James Glen, British General James Grant, Cherokee Chiefs Little Carpenter and Dragging Canoe, British Indian Superintendent John Stuart, Colonial General Andrew Pickens, and numerous others.
This book is highly recommended as an important academic resource.


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War under Heaven: Pontiac, the Indian Nations, and the British Empire Review

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(More customer reviews)I am going to offer a rave review, (admittedly of a favorite period), and want to disclaim the need for a disclaimer --- I do not know the author or have any connection to his University or publisher.
Gregory Dowd can hardly be accused of writing inaccessible history only to other historians on an obscure topic. The linkages in British Colonial Indian policy between the end of the French and Indian War and the Revolution are interesting in their own right. This account covers all perspectives, dealing with French attitudes; Pontiac's turbulent, adroit yet ultimately unpopular leadership; and above all the cultural and emotional influences at work in the era. Not merely about Pontiac's War, this work is aptly subtitled: Pontiac, The Indian Nations and the British Empire.
Of particular import is Dowd's sophisticated analysis of British policy paralleled with a sober yet, when appropriate, complimentary account of the methods of the Indian Nations. Dowd provides new insight in his focus on the issue of status and dignity as a motivating factor in Pontiac's War -- without ever collapsing into easy platitudes on the plight of Native Americans. Wholistic in the best sense of the word, the impact of Indian religion and its interaction with Christianity is also assessed.
Expert, well written, well researched, non-polemic; War Under Heaven, also offers seamless assessments of the work of other historians.
The fact that Dowd accomplishes so much in just 275 pages of text is a testament to good writing and the tightness of the text. Just as accessible to newcomer as to student of the era.

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The Upper Country: French Enterprise in the Colonial Great Lakes (Regional Perspectives on Early America) Review

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(More customer reviews)As stated by the author in the Introduction, there are no ground-breaking revelations from original scholarship within this work. But it is a good, solid introduction to the politics and economics of the subject region. I only found two small historic errors - details that would be obvious to only the most arcane of French colonial historians.
The bibliography reveals that he has consulted virtually every printed source available, and a large part of this book's value lies in the bibliographic resources revealed. Doctor Skinner's collection and collation of facts from widely disparate sources, presented from a highly objective perspective, make this work a valuable introduction for readers who don't have the time or inclination to wallow in the esoterica of the bibliography.

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And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails Review

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(More customer reviews)I am not so much a sucker for history books as I am a sucker for very focused, almsot gimmicky, history books. Andrew Carr's _Drink: A Social History of America_ is a similarly gimmicky history book that I (pun coming) ate and drank up furiously, and Wayne Curtis has provided an equally capturing read with _And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails_.
This book comes from the level perspective of a connoseur of rum, one who enjoys the depth of the drink, which includes the history of it and the stories behind it. Besides the unsolveable questions of who ever first invented something like the mai tai or who even first made the first batch of the molasses-based spirit, Wayne Curtis delves through a liquor that has been both a savior and a demon for America.
And that is the main point of this book that I truly treasure--for nowadays, rum is considered a very tropical drink, something more at home in a pina colada or a tiki bar than something attached to the dirty farmland of the New World, but Curtis reattaches rum to its colonial identity and heritage, along with solid associations with pirates and seafarers. Rather than being a light, sit-back-on-the-beach drink, Curtis attaches rum back to flogging and piracy and the Revolutionary War. And he does this in each chapter through identifying a particular way of serving rum (the mojito, the flip, or just plain grog) to examine how that drink played its role in history. Though rum is a liquor that can take many, many forms, Curtis looks at how all spirits were lumped into the term 'rum' for Prohibition, and also how rum came into grace, then fell out of it, and almost seemed to fall off the face of the Earth altogether, only to soar back, though in a new way that Curtis bashes thoroughly in the final chapter, which examines the industrialization of rum.
This is a very fascinating and readable book that is filled with humor and appropiate snobbery for a liquor that may not have the high rep of things like cognac and scotch, but certainly has the street cred to kick any other liquor's rear.


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American Colonies: The Settling of North America (The Penguin History of the United States, Volume1) (Hist of the USA) Review

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(More customer reviews)I first noticed the Native American void in history books just a few years ago. I was trying to find which tribes lived near Frederick Co. Maryland, and the information simply wasn't there. I am a hired researcher, so when I say the information wasn't there, I mean that it would take the average person about a year to track down anything at all on the topic. There is a real void in the history of the Americas and there are very few books that treat pre-colonial, non-European American history with any sense of depth or fairness.
This book truly gives you a full-scale idea of what shaped the Americas into what they are today. Finally you can read about what was happening with the native population during the time of contact and conquest. Finally you can get an idea about the environmental and economical impacts of colonialization, both in the Americas and in Europe.
This book is truly a history of "actions" and not "thoughts". Often what we learn in American schools today is what the Puritans were thinking about doing, or what our founding fathers wanted to create out of the Americas. Instead, we learn about the actions they actually took. Which colonies took up the practice of slavery, and why? How succesful where the Puritans in being pure? What was Colombus really thinking?
While the book feels slanted to the leftist mentality, I think you'll find the author treats all groups fairly, focused on their actions and not their intentions. The few books I've read that tried to cover a more holistic history of the Americas usually go too far in the opposite direction, painting all colonists as depraved ravagers, and all natives as white-washed saints. Instead, this book portrays both peoples in their full depth, portraying a complicated, terrible and all too human history.
While I mostly address the native vs. European issue in this review, there is much more going on here. Impacts of trade, morality, religion, government all play out. This is the book we all should have read in our Intro to American History class.
To finish up, this is one of those rare books that I think everyone should read. We will never understand how we can do better unless we learn what we have done wrong. I was truly floored at how much new information was here. Why is it so difficult to find books that cover the full scope of U.S. history? How can we understand what's going on in our country, if we don't understand how it even came to exist?
This book is easy to read, well-written, and amazingly well-researched. If you want a real idea about what shaped the Americas into what they are today, this is what you should be reading. (10 out of 10)

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Birchbark Brigade: A Fur Trade History Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never been a history buff. Indeed, most historical reading has caused me to fall fast asleep! However, this little book by Cris Peterson left me with a desire to know more about the fur trade and even an urge to plan my next vacation to include a location like Grand Portage or the Northwest Company Fur Post near Pine City, Minnesota. Peterson brings the historical figures of the fur trade to life. I vaguely remember reading in my history classes about the big names like Samuel de Champlain, Alexander Henry, Alexander Mackenzie, and George Nelson but this little book provides the explanations and the motivation behind these men. I especially enjoyed the discussion throughout the text on the influence of Native Americans on the fur trade. I believe this discussion may have been lacking from my own history education many years ago. It is important to note that in incorporating the Native American way of life made possible the fur traders' life in the north. This occurred at a time when many of these European traders would not have been able to survive such harsh environmental conditions without the skills borrowed from the Native American.
Peterson has included appropriate images on nearly every page to complement her rich text. I believe the images make this book more readable, especially for the young reader. I do wish some of the images were in color or printed in a larger format, but I am sure that would have made this little book a bit too large for the young reader and probably a lot more expensive as well. I especially appreciate the maps included throughout the text and the maps printed on the inside covers of the book for continued reference while reading. This is very helpful to allow comprehension of the vast tracts of lands
One suggestion for improvement on future historical texts that may be written by this author is to have a summary, perhaps in the form of a timeline at the end of each chapter. This may help keep the reader more on task and understand the particular time range covered in each chapter. The book is set in chronological order, but some of the chapters cover a very short timeline whereas other chapters cover longer time periods. There is a time line at the end of the text, and this is helpful, but I think summarizing the content of each chapter at the end would be helpful. In this way, the reader could review what has just been read and place each of the events in chronological context.
This is a book that I will keep handy for teaching some of the history behind the fur trade in my future. Also, it is a book that I will consult when I get the opportunity to visit some of the important historic sites mentioned throughout. A book that can motivate a person to take a greater interest in learning more about the topic is well-written and well worth the reader's time and effort. This book does this very well.


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