Thomas S. Wermuth – författare

More than two hundred and fifty years after the revolution began, Fire and Freedom invites readers to rediscover America's journey to independence. Showcasing New York's central role in the revolution, Fire and Freedom highlights the stories of people and events previously hidden from popular view, unveiling a new vision of this famous narrative. Many of the revolution's key moments can be traced to New York: city crowds rioted against colonial taxation and George Washington spent one-third of the war in and around the soon-to-be "Empire State." Beyond these well-known players and moments, however, lies a trove of new information on New York's hidden revolutionary stories. With a foreword by acclaimed historian Russell Shorto and seven fascinating chapters on a range of subjects, we see that events off the battlefield—a strategic retreat, a destructive fire, and displays of independence—were just as meaningful as the fighting itself. State power and politics redefined conceptions of loyalty and allegiance. The resistance and agency of Indigenous and enslaved populations shaped New York's postwar era. These diverse stories are tied together by the defining war, but they stretch far beyond its confines and even further beyond our common understandings. By providing a more comprehensive look into New York's influence on the era, the contributors to this book expand and evolve the meaning and significance of the revolution. Exciting and insightful, Fire and Freedom is a must-read addition to the great revolutionary saga.

Examines the many facets of the Hudson's rich history, distinctive regional culture, and important contributions to the development of modern America.Since its inception in 1984, The Hudson River Valley Review has taken an eclectic and interdisciplinary approach to a region that has long been recognized for its role in American colonial history; its important contributions to American arts, letters, and architecture; its role in the economic development of the nation; and its significant and ongoing contributions to America culture and history. This collection of essays brings together eighteen of the best essays from the Review's first twenty-five years of publication. From natives and newcomers to twentieth century leaders, these essays examine the many facets of the Hudson's rich history, distinctive regional culture, and important contributions to the development of modern America.

Explores the social and economic transformations of the mid-Hudson River Valley during the key expansionist period in American history.Although Rip Van Winkle was a fictional character, his community in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York State was very real. Thomas S. Wermuth's book shows that the popular view of Hudson Valley farmers as self-sufficient, independent, and free of governmental authority is as fictional as the character of Rip Van Winkle himself. In fact these mid-Hudson farmers lived in villages where economic practices and behavior were regulated by civil authorities as well as neighborhood concerns, and where acquisitive practices that were believed to endanger the public good were forbidden.Based on extensive research into previously unused town records and commercial accounts, this book challenges the belief that the early valley was a capitalist society, arguing that the beliefs and practices associated with modern capitalism developed slowly and unevenly, and were not always welcomed by valley families.