Reddit mentions: The best us colonial period history books

I've started reading more on the subject, and it frankly does look look like it was more than a fad, and certainly not confined to literary flourish. For instance, the first dozen or so pages in the Overflowing of Friend: Love Between Men and the Creation of the American Republic are dedicated to two middle-upper / upper-class young men, of no importance whatsoever, and certainly with no expectation of their diaries being read in the future. And yet we find from their diaries the same poignancy as the quotes in the OP. We also find that their actions were as sentimental as their letters, e.g. walking with each other holding hands in the garden.

The phenomenon was in every part of society, it seems, as preachers often brought up the example of the Biblical David and Jonathon as the ideal relationship between two male friends.

Some passages from the beginning of the book:

>Declarations of love by one man to another would not automatically have suggested to relatives or neighbors that sexual relations might be taking place. Indeed, most Anglo-Americans living in the colonial and revolutionary periods treated emotional ties between male friends as quite distinct from sexual desire. Sodomy was illegal and denounced by religious leaders as an abominable sin, but nonerotic love between men was seen as decent, honorable, and praiseworthy. Acceptable expressions of love between men included not only words, either written or spoken, but also physical affection. Some readers may be surprised that I avoid describing these friendships as “platonic.” I do so because this word is often taken to mean a nonphysical as well as nonsexual relationship, which would be misleading since many of the friendships examined in this book were physically very demonstrative. Male friends often referred to the pleasure that they took in touching and holding one another; they delighted in the proximity of each other’s bodies.

Here's a decent blog post featuring photographs from the early 20th century and before. We can see that the affection was more than just in words.

It reminds me of when I was looking through my grandfather's old WWII photos years ago, and found him with a group of his friends, stark naked, arms around each other's shoulders, smiling for a photograph.

Washington's religious views are debated. Some Christians claim he was a devout Christian while others claim his ties to Chrisianity were more pro forma.

From Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America:

>He ascended to such a godly status himself that religious leaders have been jockeying to define him as one of theirs since the day he died. Washington, said convervative minister D. James Kennedy, had a "fervent evnagelical faith." Tim LaHaye declared in his book Faith of Our Founding Fathers that the first president was a "devout believer in Jesus Christ and had accepted Him as Lord and Savior." LaHaye predicted that "were George Washington living today, he would freely identify with the Bible-believing branch of evangelical Christianity that is having such a positive influence on our nation." Both cited many examples of Washington's piety, including the well-known, and oft-painted, story of the Pennsylvanian who came upon Washington on his knees praying at Valley Forge. Secularists, on the other hand, point to Washington's unwillingness to speak about Christianity and other Deistic tendencies he exhibited throughout his life. "Religion seems to have played a reamarkably small role in his own life," wrote Brooke Allen.

pages 56-57

The story about Isasc Potts coming upon Washington praying in the woods near his Valley Forge encampment was invented by Parson Weems who wrote a biography of Washington in which he placed a number of stories he created, such as the one of Washington chopping down a cherry tree as a boy, but admitting to it, because he couldn't tell a lie.

Washington made many references to God, but few to Jesus Christ.

>Washington rarely referred to Jesus Christ or Christianity in his writings. He often spoke of God, Providence, the Great Architect, and other formulations for the deity, but to Christ in only a hanful of instances, which have been widely quoted. At one point, Washington said he hoped the Continental army would consist of people acting like "good Christian Soldiers"; on another occasion he told some Indian chiefs that they would do well to follow "the religion of Jesus Christ."

page 58

*Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers by Brooke Allen also makes the same point.

>...In those letters, Greely pointed out, "even those of consolation, there appears almost nothing to indicate his spiritual frame of mind." Greely found it especially striking that "in several thousand letters the name of Jesus Christ never appears, and it is notably absent from his last will."
>
>Greely was correct: the name of Jesus is conspicuous by its absence. Washington's letters to his wife were destroyed after his death, so we are denied any clues to his beliefs that might have been contained in them, but the rest of his very voluminous correspondence, both intimate and official, fails to mention a savior or redeemer...Jesus is not mentioned anywhere in Washington's correspondence.

page 35

The chapter on George Washingon in Founding Faith also states:

>James Madison's view was that Washington was spiritual but not interested in the theological particularities of the Christian faith. Compared with the other Founding Fathers, Washington spent little time on religious exploration or debate...
>
>That Washington was reluctant to speak about Jesus or even Christianity was not lost on others. The Reverend Samuel Miller of New York wondered how it could be that "a true Christian, in the full exercise of his mental faculties, [would] die without one expression of distinctive belief, or Christian hope."...
>
>...
>
>Was Washington a "good Christian"? By the definition of Christianity offered by contemporary liberal Christians, he would pass muster. He believed in God, attended church, endorsed the golden rule, and valued the behavioral benefits of religion. More conservative Christians, however, generally believe that being a good Christian means accepting Jesus Christ as personal savior and the Bible as God's revelation. By those standards - those of twenty-first-century conservative evangelical Christianity - Washington was not Christian.

You can also find interesting information on George Washington's religious beliefs in Prayer in America: A Spiritual History of Our Nation by James P. Moore, Jr. who writes:

>In trying to bolster the spiritual credentials of Washington, some of his biographers have helped to perpetuate myths that, over many generations, are now hard to shake off. Certain prayers and pious acts that have been attributed to the country's first president simply never took place. What he did reveal throughout his life, however, was his absolute devotion to God and an unwavering belief in the need for and efficacy of prayer.

page 73

Rights of Man really sold that many copies? I know that claim has been made of Common Sense (and Ray Raphael talks about those inflated numbers here), but wasn't aware that Rights of Man was that popular too.

>For your question on "Whig political thought", I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that. Could you please clarify?

Mostly I'm talking about the Whig notions of justified resistance to authority. The idea that when ministers of government overstep their authority they've removed themselves from any legal rights to authority and so can be lawfully resisted. Most Whig writers (at least English ones) generally stopped short of saying that resistance against royal authority could be justified, but a few of them did make that leap, and made the argument that when a king exercises unconstitutional authority, not only is it natural for people to resist, but that by exercising that unconstitutional authority the king has essentially "de-kinged" himself.

Pauline Maier explores the concept in her book From Resistance to Revolution: Colonial Radicals and the Development of American Opposition to Britain, 1765-1776

>This belief in a tradition of liberty was just as influential on British radicalism in this period.

In 1775: A Good Year For Revolution Kevin Phillips makes an interesting point about this tradition of liberty (which he phrased as "fighting for the rights of Englishmen"). He points out that "over one third of the colonists taking up arms for "the rights of Englishmen" were German, Dutch, Irish, Scottish, or Scotch-Irish."

How does John Wilkes factor into the British radicalism of the late 18th century? Was he popular after the Revolutionary War at all? His issue #45 of The North Briton was quite influential in North America and references to "45" pop up when talking about popular acknowledgment of resistance to British authority.

So, for the internet, a good way to start the search for books on most any subject is Wikipedia's work cited. Those books should then, also have work cited that might give other views on the subject, or in greater detail.

With a list in hand, you might have an easier time eliciting opinions on various history subreddits, or getting alternate recommendations.

For example, I looked at Pontiac's War wiki. The most cited books are:

• War under Heaven: Pontiac, the Indian Nations, and the British Empire
  
  
• The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815
  
  
• Haughty Conquerors: Amherst and the Great Indian Uprising of 1763
  
  
• A Country Between: The Upper Ohio Valley and Its Peoples, 1724-1774
  
  
• Never Come to Peace Again: Pontiac's Uprising and the Fate of the British Empire in North America
  
  Good luck finding something of interest. The Amazon reviews may be helpful, or you may be able to find the dissenting views by searching for a particular book.
  
  P.S. As stated in another post, "early" Native American history is usually regarded as before Europeans got here and often relies more on anthropological and archeological sources over the writen history sources that you see post contact.

Oh, I've got some good books in this category. I took an Anglo-American Constitutionalism class during undergrad, which had some great readings on the American Constitution.

Plain Honest Men by Richard Beeman

Creation of the American Republic by Gordon Wood

Peripheries and Center by Jack P. Greene

The last two are awesome, awesome books that really changed the way I thought about early America and the creation of the Constitution.

As a future social studies educator, my other suggestion would be to find a history teacher at your school who is really passionate about the subject and ask them about what they read and how they read. One of the most important things in learning about history is how to read history correctly. Or, if a university is near by, e-mail professors who study a topic that you're interested in and see if you can correspond with them or talk to them. They may lend you free books, too!

Books for laymen I would say are New World Faiths by Jon Butler. Butler's book is super digestible, not very long, and very comprehensive. He does a fantastic job of discussing and explaining what religion looked like as it went through a transformative process during American colonial history.

There are two more books, both academic, but both should be digestible for non-historians:

Awash in a Sea of Faith: Christianizing the American People by Jon Butler


The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan O. Hatch.

(I strongly recommend starting with Butler because it's easier to read and it discusses movements that came before the movements in Hatch's book.)

Both of these books rocked the entire historical climate for people who study religion in American History. Butler's book makes several important claims, first that early American history is not nearly as religious as people believed it was (he has ample evidence to prove this point). He also explains that later generations, particularly those of the early 19th century, re-wrote the American narrative to try and make the 18th century seem much more religious than it was.

Hatch's book is arguably the most important academic book written about the study of America's history with religion. Focusing mostly on events of the early 19th century, which he asserts did more to "christianize" the American people than any other period in American or colonial history. He focuses on the transformations of five major sects (nondenominational Christians, Baptists, Methodists, African-American preachers and churches, and Mormons) and shows what happened to them during this period that permanently altered their course moving forward.

Please feel free to reach out to me and ask any questions you have in regards to anything you read on there. I am always willing and eager to discuss this stuff.

The American Constitution itself is really considered the first of it's kind. There are many things that influenced the Constitution, and gave the Constitution it's name.

The founding of the American Republic - and the constitution - was strongly influenced by the Roman Republic. The framers studied classical history extensively and often looked at the "Constitutio" which where edicts, decrees and rescripts that governed the Roman Republic and later empire.The Roman constitution was not a single document, but rather a series of precedents and traditions that formed the structure in which the government operated. Later the Roman Emperor declared the Constitutio Antoniniana, which granted citizenship to freemen living in the Roman Republic.

I believe (and I am a American history student, not a roman history) that using the term to describe the core laws that was popularized by Livy's Ab Urbe condita which described the history of the Roman Republic. Later the term described edicts from the emperor, and the most important decrees by the Pope (Apostolic constitution) starting in the 1570s.

The idea of the constitution being a legal contract was influenced by Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Social Contract. The Magna Carta, which restricted the powers of government, and the "British Constitution" which like the roman Constitution was mainly tradition based were also influential, and led to the idea that authority could be granted by agreement rather then by princely authority.

The early colonies where created on the basis of charters that granted colonies under the authority of the government of England. In 1630, the settlers of Connecticut formed their government not based off of the external charter, but instead drafted the "Fundamental Orders." When the colonies declared independence, they chose likewise to replace the defunct charters with documents, which they called "Constitutions"

Sources -
Ab Urbe condita - http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/livius/trans1.html
The Social Contract: http://www.constitution.org/jjr/socon.htm
The Radicalism of the American Revolution: http://www.amazon.com/Radicalism-American-Revolution-Gordon-Wood/dp/0679736883
The Creaton of the American Republic: http://www.amazon.com/The-Creation-American-Republic-1776-1787/dp/0807847232/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CZ9HPT323HSRGHGG1WG
Ancient Rome in America: http://shc.stanford.edu/news/research/ancient-rome-america
The Founders and the Classics

I've only read 2 of the books on this list, Affairs of Honor and A Brief History of Reconstruction but both are beyond excellent! I know you said you were more interested in American history from 150 years ago but the thing is that many Americans tend to overlook most of that period and obsess over the Founding. I'm capitalizing that because it's that important not only socially but politically and legally.

Due in part to our unique constitutional structure you'll hear lots of references in political conversations to what kind of country the Founders intended the United States to be. A huge portion of the pretensions proclamations of that nature are historically inaccurate. The best complete history of the entire founding of the United States I've found is John Ferling's A Leap in the Dark.

Let's get it started then. What would you be interested in reading? I have some options on my reading list, maybe you are interested. If not, you can also suggest some titles and then we can decide.

• On China, Henry Kissinger I read his book on world order a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed it a lot. He played a major role in reestablishing diplomatic relations with China, so I think this might turn out to be an interesting read.
  
• The Glorious Cause, Robert Middlekauff This US history book spans the period prior to the independence up to it's aftermath (1763-1789). Chronologically speaking, it is the first book in the Oxford series on the history of the United States. I have heard great things about this series, in particular McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. I plan to read the whole series little by little.
  
• The Global Minotaur, Yanis Varoufakis I learned about this book by reading his more recent book And the Weak Suffer What They Must?. This is more of a history of political economy, and covers the period from the end of WWII to the 2008 crisis. As far as I know, Global Minotaur covers the same period as the book I read but focuses more on the US than Europe. I'm not an economist, so there are some things I wasn't able to understand, but for the most part I had no problem at all and enjoyed it quite a bit.
  
  
• Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell I learned about this book reading a collection of essays by Chomsky entitled on Anarchism. Here, Chomsky talks about some rare "truly socialist" movement that appeared in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. This movement was crushed by both Franco's military coup and the Soviet army. Orwell fought there and this book narrates his experience. Given the great experience I had reading 1984, I think this could be a very interesting read.
  
  
• The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand I have hear many things for and against this author, but I have never read it. I have also heard that this book is better from a literary standpoint than Atlas Shrugged, and also was written earlier, so this could be a good starting point.

Gumbo Tales - by Sara Roahan -- The most beautifully written book about New Orleans cuisine I've ever encountered. Hilarious, poignant, reflective, uplifting and sad. Don't read if you're hungry. Or if you're not near food because you will become hungry.

The World that Made New Orleans -- Ned Sublette -- A narrative history book that looks at all the cultures, people, government systems and all the historical events that shaped the formation of New Orleans. Great read, if only for the chapter where the author incredulously wonders why people would argue Thomas Jefferson didn't sleep with his slaves.

Nine Lives - Dan Baum -- An oral history of nine New Orleanians that lived through Hurricane Betsy and Hurricane Katrina. Includes tales from the wife of legendary Mardi Gras Indian Tootie Montana, marching band director Wilbert Rawlins (also featured in "The Whole Gritty City") and the President of the Rex Organization, among others. Beautifully composed and written.

City of Refuge - Tom Piazza -- Historical fiction following a group of people as they recover from Katrina. Looks at people from every walk of life in New Orleans and does a great job of transmitting their individual struggles in the wake of the storm.

New Orleans, Mon Amour -- A collection of writings and short stories about life in New Orleans. Probably the most romanticized of all the books I've listed but no less awesome.

I also have to second the recommendations made for Confederacy of Dunces (one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud books you'll ever read) and the Moviegoer.

(Edit: City of Refuge is fiction)

I applaud Chris for giving her book away for free. It's actually be available for free for a few years now. But, if you can, you should really buy it. Sales of her book go to fund her research and writing and she's doing some great work combating those who are trying to rewrite American history.

For the Revolutionary Period, I would highly suggest Robert Middlekauff's The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, which is a part of the fantastic Oxford History of the United States book series. You cannot go wrong with any of those books. I also second Alan Taylor's American Colonies, which is also available in a "Very Short Introduction" version in case you're short on time or you'd like a book that lends itself to shorter excerpts.

>Same for people living in Louisiana and speaking French

Politics aside /u/I_value_my_shit_more you should check out The World That Made New Orleans; it does a good job at least in a small section of America of documenting how immigration has defined the culture there and helped evolve it to where it is today.

In the later chapters it focuses more on music, but the empirical historical stuff early on (starts in the 1400s) is pretty neat even if you don't give a shit about jazz.

I don't know if these are the best and more important books I've read, but they're ones I heartily recommend:

• In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early Modern American Life, in which the author (James Deetz) asks his readers to consider the small things forgotten (fancy that) in the archaeological and historical record. Buttons, cups, doorways, gravestones. What do these tell us about people and the everyday?
  
  
• I was quite impressed by Barbed Wire: An Ecology of Modernity, by Reviel Netz. He discusses the invention of barbed wire and its use in and effects on agriculture, warfare, and concentration camp. It's rather theoretical, but it's easy to read and really well done. I am partial to history books that focus on one seemingly mundane object (such as salt, as on your list; cod; the clock; or the cat).
  
  
• Holy Fast, Holy Feast, by Caroline Walker Bynum, is required reading for any medievalist. She discusses the significance of food and fasting to medieval religious women.

Now this is a good question. However, I'm afraid I may be disappointing you again. I think it depends at least in part in where your interests lie...are you more interested in military, political, social, economic history etc. Does it matter to you if you learn American history chronologically or not? The below list includes great works in several categories....

Manhood in America: A Cultural History by Michael Kimmel
history of the united states army weigley
battle cry of freedom mcpherson

and if I were to recommend a single volume, and one volume, to start it would be...http://www.amazon.com/The-Glorious-Cause-Revolution-1763-1789/dp/019531588X

It's an Oxford History, usually a stamp of sound quality.

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans.

Such an amazing read. Hands down the best account of the first two centuries of the history of New Orleans.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

The Alcoholic Republic was a fantastic read for me, and right along the lines of the topic. The author, Rorabaugh, discusses how not too many US historians really acknowledge the sheer weight of influence alcohol had on the US after the Revolutionary War. The book makes a few fun claims, but does a great job of citing some absolutely staggering numbers and sticks to illustrating a piece of US history oft overlooked.

haha, I found the page (About half-way, starting at "New York Governor George Clinton")

Lightweights.

Two days before the signing of the consitution in 1787, our founding fathers went on an alcoholic binge drinking that is cannot be seen as anything other than awe inspiring

The 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention partied at a tavern. According to the bill preserved from the evening, they drank...

• 54 bottles of Madeira
  
• 60 bottles of claret
  
• 8 bottles of whiskey
  
• 22 bottles of porter
  
• 8 bottles of hard cider
  
• 12 bottles of beer
  
• 7 bowls of alcoholic punch
  
  They then spent two days finding out where they were in the gutters and sobering themselves up with coffee. That's right, they put off the whole unified government thing for partying their asses off.
  
  EDIT: Due to request's, here's my Source
  The author of that article wrote The Alcoholic Republice: An American Tradition
  

Daniel Boorstin's 3-volume "The Americans" is incredible (here's the first one, the other two are the National Experience and the Democratic Experience). He was the Librarian of Congress for years. The book is told on the level of what it was like to be a person living at the time, rather than on the level of society (i.e. here are a few great men, here are a few important decisions; the rest doesn't matter). And while I learned a lot from Zinn, I find Zinn to be reacting to the prejudices of the American education system about history. If you weren't exposed to those prejudices in the first place, I don't know that he's the best place to get the full story.

The First Salute by Barbara Tuchman covers both the American Revolution and piracy in the West Indies. It's a superb book and filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge of European history and mercantilism.

Mike Duncan of History of Rome fame is currently doing a podcast series called Revolutions. He's already covered the American Revolution and is in the middle of the French Revolution right now.

This gets asked every so often, and these are the books I usually recommend for someone wanting to know what's up with archaeology. Start at the top, and keep going down if you're interested. There are many more, but I like these.

• Rathje's Rubbish!: The Archaeology of Garbage
  
• Deetz's In Small Things Forgotten
  
• Trigger's A History of Archaeological Thought
  
• Johnson's Archaeological Theory

• Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick
  
• 1491 by Charles C Mann
  
• Omnivore's Dilemma and Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
  
  I found these books very educational. They definitely have changed my worldview on the history of agriculture, human ecology, and economics.
  They really make you think that if Anglo-Western style capitalism or agriculture were non-existent, the world would be just fine.
  
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321693822&sr=8-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/1491-Revelations-Americas-Before-Columbus/dp/1400032059/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321693987&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694010&sr=1-1
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Botany-Desire-Plants-Eye-View-World/dp/0375760393/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321694049&sr=1-1

The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans
Is pretty good, its got some dry parts, but interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-City-Improvising-New-Orleans/dp/0674725905

The Alcoholic Republic is a good resource on American drinking habits. Rum (made cheap by slave-grown sugar cane in the Caribbean) was the most popular drink up until about 1830, when a glut of cheap corn west of the Appalachians made whiskey more prominent. Beer didn't really show up until after the Civil War, when railroads and canals meant that crops could be shipped more easily, and a larger influx of German immigrants brought with them a bigger thirst for beer.

There is some mention of geography/climate in the book: apparently it was difficult to grow grapes in the original 13 states, and corn grew better than barley most places, but I think that economic and cultural reasons outweigh the geographic/climate reasons.

Edit: as wendelgee2 says, cider was also an important American beverage, especially in rural areas with lots of orchards.

Some that I love:

• The World That Made New Orleans by Ned Sublette
  
• Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales by Robert Tallant, Lyle Saxon, Edward Dreyer
  
• New Orleans Then and Now by Richard and Marina Campanella
  
• Eat Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Unique Food Culture of the Crescent City by Michael Murphy

I read a great book that was required reading for one of my university classes in NOLA. Give The World That Made New Orleans a try. It's obviously not as far-reaching as Guns Germs and Steel, but New Orleans is such an interesting and culturally diverse city, and the book explores the different origins of NOLA cuisine, music, architecture, etc.

Sorry, I got busy. The best I can do right now is give a link to James Madison in the Federalist. It specifically mentions the dangers of direct democracy. Beyond that, I would just try to find a good history of the US, which I should do myself, because I don't know much about the various views of the founders. Daniel Boorstin has a good, readable series, but I'm sure there are many good ones. If you have access to a university library, you might ask the librarian. While looking for sources for you, I realized my answer above was probably inadequate.

I know you don't want to buy and read a giant volume, but "Liars for Jesus" really is an excellent source. A while back the author made it available for free. I bought the book, but keep the link around so I can do a "ctrl +f" for specific topics.

Might come in handy when someone says, "America is a christian nation, in fact, congress recognized how important the bible is that they bought a bunch of them for its citizens during the revolution". You can do a quick search and find out that the source documents they are using leave out critical bits and that this never actually happened.

Barbara Tuchman's great book The First Salute talks about this event in her history of the American Revolution.

Are you asking what the current theory is, or what was commonly believed at the time of the founding? If the founders/founding, then, according to this book, the authority of a government comes from the consent a people give by way of their representation in the government. Taxes, a big issue at the time obviously, were either a gift from the people to the government by way of their representation, or theft.

Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution is phenomenal, as is A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic.

1776 is a great book, and you should definitely read it, but it only covers the year 1776 (and just leading up to it).

If you can only get one book, go with Patriots (It starts in the 1750s, so it's certainly in-depth).

Hi op! So this is my first time really posting here, so my apologies if I mess up.

The ships were smaller than you’d likely imagine. There is currently an active reconstruction of the Mayflower, the ship known for bringing the pilgrims to first Provincetown, Cape Cod, then on to Plymouth Massachusetts. and it is only about 80-90 feet long on deck. I’d suggest Nathanial Philbrick’s ‘Mayflower’. It gives both a very good idea of the living conditions on the journey, and an in depth look at what lead to pilgrims to the new world.

The Creation of the American Republic is very comprehensive.

judicial scholars sure, not historians (except for the ones that write high school history textbooks) I was referencing the author of Ratification Debates:
https://www.amazon.com/Ratification-People-Debate-Constitution-1787-1788/dp/0684868555

She makes a good point in the book that we really should look to the ratification debates and not the federalist papers. The papers where written by the consitutions authors sure, but the debates are where people debated the constitution and then voted on ratification. Every single ratification convention in all the states had some delegates from the constitutional convention present to answer any question/comments the citizens had. These Q&A sessions shed a lot more light on how the founding GENERATION understood the constitution, which is arguably more important than how the framers understood it

I recently took a program at my college about this period, 1750-1800, and the main text we read was John Ferling's "A Leap in the Dark". It was presented in a fairly narrative format and was generally entertaining throughout, but peters off towards the end. I felt it was worth reading. (I am not a scholar of the period)

For your convenience :)

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Things-Forgotten-Archaeology-American/dp/0385483996

From Resistance to Revolution: Colonial Radicals and the Development of American Opposition to Britain, 1765-1776 - Pauline Maier.

I enjoy reading about how colonial resistance turned to revolution. This book really highlights that subject. Colonial American's did not just decide one day that they wanted independence; the progression from resistance to revolution was gradual. This book covers the years leading up to the war and how that progression played out. It's a phenomenal read if you ever get the chance.

http://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Revolution-Development-Opposition-1765-1776/dp/0393308251/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1410925969&sr=8-2&keywords=pauline+meier

That was a concession made by the northern states to get the southern states to ratify the Constitution. It was NOT in the original draft, and the southern states refused to sign until it was. It was a compromise.

I suggest reading "A leap in the dark, " which is a great book about the very beginnings of the US.

http://www.amazon.com/Leap-Dark-Struggle-American-Republic/dp/0195176006

No not at all. The rock is very arbitrary. The Pilgrims first landed on what is Cape Cod actually (Provincetown). They stayed there for a month mostly camped out in the ship. Upon fearing retaliation from Natives after they stole some stores of corn, they decided to leave to find a better area. They sailed west from the tip of Cape Cod and immediately came to Plymouth Harbor where they anchored, stayed, and subsequently built their settlement as they thought the area was sustainable and could be best defended. Like I said, there is no mention of a rock in any of the writings from the actual pilgrims so it really has no relevance to the events.

I recommend this book! Takes you from the Mayflower and then to King Phillips War which is another fascinating subject in itself.
https://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-Story-Courage-Community-War/dp/0143111973/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526501987&sr=8-1&keywords=mayflower+book

Here an Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/World-That-Made-New-Orleans/dp/1556529589/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319134042&sr=1-2-fkmr0

no, he was a deist - which is different from christian. I highly recommend this book for an in depth look at the religion of the founding fathers, showing just how non-christian they really were.

Some do lie, and feel righteous about it: anything that furthers the cause, you know.

http://www.amazon.com/Liars-For-Jesus-Religious-Alternate/dp/1419644386/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367372825&sr=8-1&keywords=liars+for+jesus

Hence the title of Barbara Tuckman's book The First Salute

send him this http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Jesus-Religious-Alternate-American/dp/1419644386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310429176&sr=1-1

I think the bot is sleeping, dreaming of electric sheeps.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07CN1ZLNJ

http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Jesus-Religious-Alternate-American/dp/1419644386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347575282&sr=1-1&keywords=liars+for+jesus+chris+rodda

Volgens Barbar Tuchman begonnen de betrekkingen al op Nov. 16, 1776 toen op St. Eustatius de First Salute werd gegeven. Wat maak je daarvan?

As for the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, see:

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. Really enjoying it, especially the section about King Philip's War.

Amazon.in

Don't know why the bot did not post it. or i am confusing subreddits.

The founding fathers would regularly get a whole town shitfaced off of free whiskey that they bought, then send the drunk lot into the voting booth. [source] They also had a nasty habit of using language that would make Richard Nixon blush.

I think it was a newpaper, online, etc. article about a proper book or academic writeup of some kind.

This was some years ago & my memory is horrible.

I found something at Amazon that sounds close:


The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition
by W. J. Rorabaugh (Paperback)

i remember reading the mayflower back in highschool and squanto pulling a dick move that screwed over both native americans in the area and the pilgrims, but completely forgot what or why.