James M. Volo - Böcker

In 1775, it seemed inconceivable that the American colonists could overcome the overwhelming military superiority of Great Britain. Yet the belligerent colonists were certain they could defeat the British army they so despised. On the other hand, their one great fear was that they would not be able to overcome the presence of the Royal Navy. Somehow though, the colonists were able to resist the British at sea, attract capable allies, and successfully conclude their quest for independence. The primary focus of this work is the period prior to 1779 before the French had come to the aid of the fledgling American nation—when the Blue Water Patriots confronted the Royal Navy alone, relying on little more than ingenuity and courage.In 1775, it was inconceivable that the American colonists could have overcome the overwhelming military superiority of Great Britain. Yet the belligerent colonists seemed certain that they could defeat the British army they so despised. On the other hand, the one great fear shared by all colonists was that they would not be able to overcome the presence of the Royal Navy. Yet, somehow, the colonists were able to resist the British at sea, attract capable allies to aid them, and successfully conclude their quest for independence. The American Revolution can safely be viewed as part of a prolonged worldwide naval conflict between France and Britain beginning with the Glorious Revolution in 1688 and ending with the British victory at Trafalgar in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. This was a period in which the armed merchantmen of the age of trade were replaced by genuine warships whose task was to control the sea lanes. The American Revolution was a watershed in this regard with improved warship designs, new technologies, improved gunpowder and communications, and innovative tactics. Although French participation in the war for independence was crucial, the primary focus of this work is the period before 1779, when the colonists confronted the Royal Navy alone with only their ingenuity and courage to defend them.Every school child knows that the American Revolution began on Lexington Green in April, 1775, but how many are aware that in 1764 a Royal Navy cutter, St. John, engaged in the suppression of smuggling, was fired upon by Rhode Islanders; that in 1769, the revenue sloop Liberty was seized and burned by the people of Newport; or that in 1772, the navy cutter Gaspee was burned in the night by armed patriots attacking from small boats. These Blue Water Patriots fought the first battles on the road to American independence. This is their story.

This comprehensive ready-reference encyclopedia of the history, people, events, places, movements, and issues of the Antebellum South is ideal for student use. Nearly 300 entries, selected for curriculum relevance with the assistance of historians and secondary school library media specialists, are organized alphabetically and thoroughly cross-referenced. The entries cover all aspects of political, economic, military, social, and cultural history of what was an exceedingly complex period fraught with contradictions. Slave life and conditions, plantation society, political and reform movements, revolts, industrialization, profiles with statistics of each Southern state, and biographical profiles of 90 key personalities of the period contribute to the comprehensive coverage of the encyclopedia. Each entry concludes with a bibliography of further reading suitable for students. A chronology of events and more than 45 illustrations from the period complement the text.The work is dedicated to the history of the South and the southern lifestyle as it was in the half-century before the Civil War and looks at certain events a decade or so outside of this period to provide continuity. The authors have carefully selected entries that reveal the southern perceptions of society, culture, and politics. The South's peculiar institution of slavery and the extension of slavery into the territories are examined not only as uniquely individual elements of antebellum southern society but as themes which permeated the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of the antebellum southerner. The many entries on slave life and conditions provide the reader with a great deal of pertinent information about the institution of slavery and the lives of those enslaved. Easy to use and comprehensive, this is an ideal reference work for schools and public libraries.

From the Thirteenth century through the Nineteenth, the waterways of the world provided the major means of transportation for exploration, trade, the military, and even criminals. Find out what life was like for those who chose to sail the high seas, as well as for those who didn't choose to be on board, like wives brought to sea by husbands and slaves en route to the auction block. What were their quarters like? What did they eat? How did they pass their long days at sea? These and other questions are answered in animated prose that brings the lives of ordinary people who oftentimes engaged in extraordinary activities, into sharp focus.First-hand accounts from such sources as personal journals and magazine articles are provided to help bring the time period alive. Students will also learn what life was like in the seaport towns and what the sailors did when they visited these towns, as well as the physical parts of the ships and the different roles different members of the crew played. This engaging history helps to separate fact from fiction while exploring the reasons the sea and sea life have held such prominent roles in popular fiction, and will help students understand what life was truly like for these people.

The frontier region was the interface between the American wilderness and European-style civilization. To the Europeans, the frontier teemed with undomesticated and unfamiliar beasts. Even its indigenous peoples seemed perplexing, uninhibited, and violent. The frontier wasn't just a place, but a process, too. It was a hazy line between colliding cultures, and a volatile region in which those cultures interacted.This volume explores the frontier, explorers, traders, missionaries, colonists, and native peoples that came into contact. Everyday life is presented with all of its difficulties-the trading, trapping, and farming, not to mention the chronic threat of violence. Examining the period from the perspective of both Europeans and Native Americans, this book features over 40 illustrations, photographs, and maps, making it the perfect source for anyone interested in how people lived on the old colonial frontier.

How did the patriot army dress themselves? What was the British soldier's food ration and what were women's roles during the revolution? What types of weapons did the combatants use and how large were the naval vessels of the day? This engaging and informative resource on the social and material history of the Revolutionary War period answers these and many other questions. Covering more than just political ideologies and the outcomes of battles, Daily Life During the Revolutionary War looks at the real stuff of history—people's lives and how they lived them.Looking at the war and society from many angles, the book's 20 chapters cover such important topics as radicals, Tories, taxation, the French, the Hessians, prisoner-of-war conditions, fashion, leisure time activities, and war on the frontier, among others. Also included are more than 35 photographs and illustrations, and over a dozen charts. This behind-the-scenes look at history presents a fascinating picture of everyday life deeply affected by the spirit of '76.

The Antebellum Era was a complex time in American culture. Young ladies had suitors call upon them, while men often settled quarrels by dueling, and mill girls worked 16-hour days to help their families make ends meet. Yet at the same time, a new America was emerging. The rapid growth of cities inspired Frederick Law Olmstead to lead the movement for public parks. Stephen Foster helped forge a catalog of American popular music; writers such as Washington Irving and Ralph Waldo Emerson raised the level of American literature; artists such as Thomas Cole and Thomas Doughty defined a new style of painting called the Hudson River School. All the while, schisms between northern and southern culture threatened to divide the nation. This volume in Greenwood's American Popular Culture Through History recounts the ways in which things old and new intersected in the decades before the Civil War.James and Dorothy Volo are one of the more prolific author teams in reference publishing today, and with this volume they make important contributions to Greenwood's successful series on America's other history.

Colonial America comes alive in this depiction of the daily lives of families—mothers, fathers, children, and grandparents. The Volo's examine the role of the family in society and typical family life in 17th- and 18th-century America. Through narrative chapters, aspects of family life are discussed in depth such as maintaining the household, work, entertainment, death and dying, ceremonies and holidays, customs and rites of passage, parenting, education, and widowhood. Readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the world in which these families lived and how that world affected their lives. Also included are sources for further information and a timeline of historic events.Volumes in the Family Life through History series focus on the day-to-day lives and roles of families throughout history. The roles of all family members are defined and information on daily family life, the role of the family in society, and the ever-changing definition of family are discussed. Discussion of the nuclear family, single parent homes, foster and adoptive families, stepfamilies, and gay and lesbian families are included where appropriate. Topics such as meal planning, homes, entertainment and celebrations are discussed along with larger social issues that originate in the home, such as domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and divorce. Ideal for students and general readers alike, books in this series bring the history of everyday people to life.

Nineteenth century families had to deal with enormous changes in almost all of life's categories. The first generation of nineteenth century Americans was generally anxious to remove the Anglo from their Anglo-Americanism. The generation that grew up in Jacksonian America matured during a period of nationalism, egalitarianism, and widespread reformism. Finally, the generation of the pre-war decades was innately diverse in terms of their ethnic backgrounds, employment, social class, education, language, customs, and religion. Americans were acutely aware of the need to create a stable and cohesive society firmly founded on the family and traditional family values. Yet the people of America were among the most mobile and diverse on earth. Geographically, socially, and economically, Americans (and those immigrants who wished to be Americans) were dedicated to change, movement, and progress. This dichotomy between tradition and change may have been the most durable and common of American traits, and it was a difficult quality to circumvent when trying to form a unified national persona.Volumes in the Family Life in America series focus on the day-to-day lives and roles of families throughout history. The roles of all family members are defined and information on daily family life, the role of the family in society, and the ever-changing definition of family are discussed. Discussion of the nuclear family, single parent homes, foster and adoptive families, stepfamilies, and gay and lesbian families are included where appropriate. Topics such as meal planning, homes, entertainment and celebrations, are discussed along with larger social issues that originate in the home like domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and divorce. Ideal for students and general readers alike, books in this series bring the history of everyday people to life.

This volume provides insight into the family life of Native Americans of the northeast quadrant of the North American continent and those living in the adjacent coastal and piedmont regions. These Native Americans were among the most familiar to Euro-colonials for more than two centuries. From the tribes of the northeast woodlands came “great hunters, fishermen, farmers and fighters, as well as the most powerful and sophisticated Indian nation north of Mexico [the Iroquois Confederacy].

How did the patriot army dress themselves? What was the British soldier's food ration and what were women's roles during the revolution? What types of weapons did the combatants use and how large were the naval vessels of the day? This engaging and informative resource on the social and material history of the Revolutionary War period answers these and many other questions. Covering more than just political ideologies and the outcomes of battles, Daily Life During the Revolutionary War looks at the real stuff of history—people's lives and how they lived them.Looking at the war and society from many angles, the book's 20 chapters cover such important topics as radicals, Tories, taxation, the French, the Hessians, prisoner-of-war conditions, fashion, leisure time activities, and war on the frontier, among others. Also included are more than 35 photographs and illustrations, and over a dozen charts. This behind-the-scenes look at history presents a fascinating picture of everyday life deeply affected by the spirit of '76.

Based on extensive research into newly discovered documents, this new edition of the popular volume offers an updated look at the daily lives of ordinary citizens caught up in the Civil War.When first published, Daily Life in Civil War America shifted the spotlight from the conflict’s military operations and famous leaders to its affect on day-to-day living. Now this popular, groundbreaking work returns in a thoroughly updated new edition, drawing on an expanded range of journals, journalism, diaries, and correspondence to capture the realities of wartime life for soldiers and citizens, slaves and free persons, women and children, on both sides of the conflict.In addition to chapter-by-chapter updating, the edition features new chapters on two important topics: the affects of the war on families, focusing on the absence of men on the home front and the plight of nearly 26,000 children orphaned by the war; and the activities of the Copperheads, anti-Confederate border residents, and other Southern pacifist groups.Includes excerpts from a wide range of first-person original writings, including diaries, letters, journals, and newspaper articlesPresents over 50 images, including photographs, posters, and contemporary illustrations, much of it from the author’s own collection

This two-part book examines the roots of warfare and the development of the peace movement in America from the Colonial period through the Vietnam War.From the Colonial period on, war has inevitably divided U.S. society into pro-war and antiwar factions, and few subjects have proven so polarizing or long-lasting as a nexus of public discourse. In the contest over war and peace, uninformed beliefs have been conflated with uncontested truths by both sides, fueling a lack of bipartisanship in foreign policy that has been prevalent since the nation's earliest days.A History of War Resistance in America delineates clearly the tradition of war opposition in the United States. It examines the military, preparations for war, and war's justifiable prosecution, as well as pacifism, legitimate resistance to war, and the appropriate and free exercise of civil liberties. This thought-provoking volume offers an analysis of the reasons for conflict among peoples, the prosecution of war among nations, and the development of war resistance movements. It also explores the role of the media in forming public opinion and that of the courts in protecting—or limiting—civil liberties.