A Book Review of Kenneth C. Davis’s A Nation Rising
By: Kaitlyn Woodall
American History 201 Mrs.Whitmire December 5, 2017 Introduction A Nation Rising, Kenneth C. Davis tells the story of the “black hole” in American History. He presents a series of political events that occurred during 1800-1850 that shaped our nation and it’s political views. HeIn describes in several different chapters what occurred during this period of the US. This paper will review Davis’s view as well as his main arguments, and will explain the untold tales of American History.
Summary
This book seeks to explore the ideals that birthed our nation-All men are created equal- and parallel that with the fact that so many founders owned slaves and also condoned the genocide of Native Americans. A contemplation on irony versus cultural norms. The time period discussed in this book is from 1800 to 1850. During this time America became a nation from “sea to shining sea”. It was a time of discovery, growth, and exploration for the United States. In 1800, the federal government moved from Philadelphia to our now nation’s capitol, Washington D.C. A year later, Thomas Jefferson becomes the third
The six events that are talked about in this book are the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, a dinner held for Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison; Benjamin Franklin and his attempt to end slavery being thwarted by James Madison, George Washington’s Farewell Address, John Adams succeeding Washington, and John Adams and Thomas Jefferson’s correspondences to each other. Each chapter argues that America has been going through a cycle of attempting to handle the same issues since the beginning of its time. However, many of them never got solutions, only temporary problem-solvers. The topic of slavery was ignored altogether for fear that its abolishment would break apart the Union. The duel between Hamilton and Burr was especially important because it was the
When it comes to the world stage of historical education and educators, Jackson Lears would be considered a major player because of his prowess and overall skill as a historian. As a matter of fact, Jackson Lears is a well-renowned writer and historian in the United States of America and has extended many ties from himself to prestigious colleges and writing organizations across the United States. Lears has quite the record for his education, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Virginia, his Master’s from North Carolina, and his Ph.D. from Yale. He’s held a teaching position at Rutgers University as a professor of history since
Over the past few weeks of class, we have covered the first five chapters of our textbook, written by George Brown Tindell and David Emory Shi called, “America, A Narrative History.” Each chapter told the reader a narration of the history of America, as opposed to an expository version of America’s history. Each chapter had its own main idea over a portion of history, along with many details that cover the importance of the main idea. As a reader, one may obtain a deeper appreciation for the country 's history, prior to entering the class on the first day. The most important aspect of history, besides the battles that are fought, is the different cultures that make up today’s modern America.
Chapter five in Takaki’s “A Different Mirror” focused primary on the African-American experience 1700s through the end of the Civil War and the failure of Reconstruction. The experience of reading these chapters after learning about the continued degradation of Native Americans lent itself to continued feelings of hopelessness regarding the beginnings of U.S. history. For a moment, I felt deep shame at the actions of the founders of the United States, especially those who were the head of the country, in that time President Andrew Jackson. Slavery was not only a "peculiar institution" but also one that forced landowners to dismiss that they were exploiting fellow human beings for profit. Takaki discussed four major figures before, during, and
American Revolution. In this book, the author, Gary B. Nash, tells a detailed and engaging story about the issues of race and slavery that these people faced. He brings many facts to the table that seem to have been left out of “the books that commanded library shelves multivolume nineteenth-century histories of the United States by George Bancroft, Richard Hildreth, Edward
The United States of America has historical events that underlie the primary example of a country which overcomes every adversity with courage and commitment. Several pieces of history can obviously emphasize the strength of those who inhabited this nation and shaped it into what it is today; one of which is the era of slavery. Slavery is a topic that is often rejected during the mentioning of historical events in America primarily due to the fact that it contradicts what American culture advocates. When attempting to reprimand their previous discriminatory actions towards African Americans, many Americans often fail to realize the impact that African Americans truly had on this country. Without slavery, as inauspicious as the idea may sound, the framework of America would have not been established, its populational growth would not have been as rapid, and the amount of labor that induced economic and military success would be nearly impossible, thus leading to the conclusion that America would not have excelled without slavery.
Through the various primary sources, a theme of hypocrisy is introduced, revealing the constant contradiction of freedom in America during the 19th century. This theme is exemplified in “America”, a poem written by James Whitfield. The poem begins with the lines, “America, it is to thee, / Thou boasted land of liberty, - / It is to thee I raise my song, / Thou land of blood, and crime, and wrong” (Whitfield “America” 1- 4). Within the first four lines of the poem, Whitfield introduces the notion that America, albeit boasting of freedom, is truly a land of wrongdoing. This idea is further enhanced later in the poem, as it is mentioned, “Oh no; they fought, as they believed, / For the inherent rights of man; / But mark, how they have been deceived / By slavery’s accursed plan” (Whitfield “America” 37 -
Has America always been true to its ideals of freedom reigning throughout its people and diverse culture? Throughout history the relationship as well as interactions between Native Americans and eager-faced settlers have been at the least discriminatory. "America the land of the free, home of the brave," this iconic line has seemed to be America's anthem time and time again. Throughout the periods and trials involving Native Americans and other settlers, this theme has seemed contrary in the Indians eyes.
America by far is the most diverse country on the face of the earth. America today is known for freedom, equality, democracy, and a defender against tyranny. The foundation of American values lay in a belief of independence, nationalism, capitalism, and religion. However, many conflicts have arisen over these values in the past. Capitalism and other characteristics have made America great, but they have brought about their own set of inequalities. Those inequalities have deep roots in race, culture, gender, and wealth. In the 1800s two of the biggest conflict lies with the issue of slavery and women’s rights.
Throughout the study of American history, scholars and students alike are quick to paint certain people, institutions and events as uniformly bad or good. These claims are most commonly made with the substantial benefit of hindsight, and while some of these descriptions are accurate and well-founded in fact, many exhibit a clear bias and ignore the nuances of the events they are describing. To avoid characterization in such a binary system, numerous sources and viewpoints must be consulted in the study of American history.
The first half of the nineteenth century in the United States of America was a time of tremendous change for the nation. Firstly, change began as Thomas Jefferson was elected president, which meant the beginning of the Democratic-Republicans reign in office. But this development of the modern United States led not to a unified nation, yet it led to one divided. The expansion and development of ideas and land exposed great regional differences in the United States between 1800 and 1848. Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase had not only provided the country with land to farm, but it had doubled the size of the United States. Decisions over what to do with the new land separated the country. This is clearly seen in disputes concerning the United States’
The often told story of America’s founding begins the Founding fathers waged a revolution and created a unique place called the United States of America. This story may include the early Jamestown colony and puritan colonists, and at times deal with the depollution and dispossession of the America’s native inhabitants. However frequently the complex nature of America’s prerevolutionary era is left out. Daniel Richter offers a refreshing non-teleological revision by showing that the United States has a much deeper history. Richter presents America as a nation with multiple pasts that stretch back as far as the middle ages. These pasts, he argues, continue to be felt in the present. Richter’s history utilizes a vast array of primary sources and his cultural history spans more than seven centuries. Richter works to recover the histories of an intermingling sort of individuals from North America, Europe, and Africa. The struggle for control of land and resources of these individuals took place in a global context. This multilayer struggle gradually gave rise to a distinctive American culture. Richter argues that by dissecting and understanding this culture on its own—and not as a build-up to an inevitable revolution—reveals the origins of American history.
The American Founders aimed to take human nature for what it was, as something less elevated and constructing a government characterized for limited power. They questioned the legitimacy of every existing government and even questioned their own practices, such as slavery. Abraham Lincoln and the tragedy of the Civil War compelled the enforcement of the Declaration of Independence. It is a restoration of the principle underlying slavery and the argument of human enslavement between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Lincoln said that slavery is founded in the selfishness of man’s nature-opposition to it, in his love of justice. Self interest by itself is too base a foundation for America. Selfishness is part of our nature, but it is not the best part. From Lincoln’s position, our children are not really ours; we do not own them but we own ourselves. (821-822)
The controversies surrounding slavery have been established in many societies worldwide for centuries. In past generations, although slavery did exists and was tolerated, it was certainly very questionable,” ethically“. Today, the morality of such an act would not only be unimaginable, but would also be morally wrong. As things change over the course of history we seek to not only explain why things happen, but as well to understand why they do. For this reason, we will look further into how slavery has evolved throughout History in American society, as well as the impacts that it has had.
The Declaration of Independence states “all men are created equal.” However, that concept does not contribute to Fredrick Douglass and Red Jacket, who represent two different cultures with a similar dilemma. Both argue the hypocrisy of the document, that only applies to a certain population of the United States of America. In addition, Douglass and Red Jacket are defending their beliefs among the injustices that they have came across with the “whites”. Even though Red Jacket is speaking up among the betrayal of the Europeans, referring to the day of the Europeans arrival to their land as a day of disgrace, “…We gave them corn and meat; they gave us poison in return.” Douglass, in comparison advocates for black civil rights, and the inequalities for the ever existence of slavery. However, both come together at the end of the day to describe the irony of the same government. With a well develop argument, the prove their point across showing ethos, both emotion and values among their distinct cultures.