Ten Hills Farm tells the powerful saga of five generations of slave owners in colonial New England. Settled in 1630 by John Winthrop--who would later become governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony--Ten Hills Farm was a six-hundred-acre estate just north of Boston. Winthrop; famous for envisioning his 'city on the hill' and lauded as a paragon of justice; owned slaves on that ground and passed the first law in North America condoning slavery. In this mesmerizing narrative; C. S. Manegold exposes how the fates of the land and the families that lived on it were bound to America's most tragic and tainted legacy. Challenging received ideas about America and the Atlantic world; Ten Hills Farm digs deep to bring the story of slavery in the North full circle--from concealment to recovery. Manegold follows the compelling tale from the early seventeenth to the early twenty-first century; from New England; through the South; to the sprawling slave plantations of the Caribbean. John Winthrop; famous for envisioning his "city on the hill" and lauded as a paragon of justice; owned slaves on that ground and passed the first law in North America condoning slavery. Each successive owner of Ten Hills Farm--from John Usher; who was born into money; to Isaac Royall; who began as a humble carpenter's son and made his fortune in Antigua--would depend upon slavery's profits until the 1780s; when Massachusetts abolished the practice. In time; the land became a city; its questionable past discreetly buried; until now. Challenging received ideas about America and the Atlantic world; Ten Hills Farm digs deep to bring the story of slavery in the North full circle--from concealment to recovery.
#1311366 in Books Princeton University Press 2008-08-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.23 x .72 x 6.55l; .95 #File Name: 0691138559304 pages
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Stimulating; highly recommendedBy Richard greenbaumI'd recommend this book to serious students of American society and its likely future. Some of it is rather disturbing.1 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Important BookBy David MontgomerieThis is a very important read for those interested in American culture; American myth; and the construction of American identity. Wuthnow's use of immigrants is so key; because so much of the American mythos is invisible to Americans that simply blindly consume it; having less "formally" learned it.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good points and strong argumentsBy BrittanyI strongly disliked this book.Possibly for the reason of reading for a class.It was long; repetitive; and I didn't like the writing style of Wuthnow.The points are strong and interesting; but the book is boring.
