Who are Florida’s Seminole and Miccosukee Indians? Where did they come from? How and why are they different from one another; and what cultural and historical features do they share?Brent Weisman explores Seminole and Miccosukee culture through information provided by archaeology; ethnography; historical documents; and the words of the Indians themselves. He explains when and how their culture was formed and how it has withstood historical challenges and survives in the face of pressures from the modern world.Focusing on key elements of ceremony and history; Weisman examines the origins and persistence of the Green Corn Dance; the importance of the clan in determining political and social relationships; and the crucial role of the Second Seminole War (1835-42) and its aftermath in stimulating cultural adaptation as the entire Indian population was forced deep into the remote wetlands of south Florida. Throughout; he emphasizes the remarkable ability of the Seminoles to adapt successfully to changing circumstances while preserving their core identity; from the colonial period through the present day.Noting the importance of geography for understanding a people’s identity; Weisman adds a travel guide to publicly accessible historic sites throughout the state that tell of the unique and deep connection between Seminole history and the geography of Florida. Illustrating the range of the Seminoles well beyond the familiar south Florida region; he explains the importance in Seminole history of the Suwannee River and the Paynes Prairie area of north-central Florida; the Withlacoochee River wetlands of central Florida; the Big Cypress region of southwest Florida; and the Pine Island Ridge of the eastern Everglades.For both students and general readers; Weisman combines scholarship from several disciplines with the perspectives of the Seminoles themselves into an exciting history of Florida’s enduring Native Americans.
#720507 in Books Random House Trade Paperbacks 2013-01-29 2013-01-29Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.43 x 6.10l; 1.82 #File Name: 0812979001848 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. The Virginians. Madison and JeffersonBy John WindfallThis book is very interesting about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. It barely mentions the Louisiana purchase but tells of Jefferson's dream of expansion of the Union. It doesn't hardly anything of the the War of 1812 but enough to let us know that it was fought. However; what the reader is treated to is how the Virginians felt that it was they who should be the leaders of the nation. The book also dwells on the rise of political parties. Many of the founders had their own ideas of what shape this country should take. Even after the Constitution was ratified there was a long dialogue as to the role of the three branches of government. The authors explore this and the beliefs of Jefferson; Madison; Hamilton; John Marshall and others. This book is very long and might need two readings to understand all that was happening. After all this was written against the backdrop of the founding of the Union and the problem of slavery. Then there was the problem of our relationship with Great Britain; France and Spain. Yet Thomas Jefferson wanted his headstone to read that he founded a university. So read the book. One review can only whet your appetite.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Madison Jefferson - The Virginia Connection!By Barry RosenExcellent joint biography of Madison and Jefferson; taking up at around the time of the Revolution to their deaths. The placing of Madison first is deliberate; and historian Andrew Burstein makes a strong case that Madison; who has played second fiddle to Jefferson in most historical accounts; was in some ways the more important of the two in terms of the development of our country. Beautifully written and full of information; including what the essential differences were between the Federalists (Washington; Hamilton and to a lesser extent Adams) and the Republicans (Jefferson; Madison; Monroe); the Virginia;Pennsylvania and NY connections; and the specific roles these persons and others (Patrick Henry; for instance) played in the founding and early decades of the United States. Highly recommended!7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. The Lawyer (Madison) and the Philosopher (Jefferson)By Leonard J. WilsonMadison and Jefferson by Andrew Burstein and Nancy Isenberg is a challenging but worthwhile read: Challenging because it presents the history of the intellectual interplay between our third and fourth presidents using their extensive correspondence as a primary source; Worthwhile because it provides a degree of insight to the two presidents' thinking that I have not read elsewhere. Jefferson was the more philosophical; taking his ideas from the natural law school (Rousseau) while Madison was the more practical and down-to-earth; taking his ideas from social contract philosophers (John Locke). Jefferson was also the more eloquent writer; perhaps even flamboyant; Madison's writing was more focused and direct; perhaps even legalistic; reflecting his extensive research on the history of governments in preparation for the Constitutional Convention. (Madison would probably have worded Jefferson's "We hold these truths to be self-evident" to something more like "Consider the following facts".) None-the-less; they were great friends; supporting each other in many ways. The book is slightly more focused on Madison in an attempt to bring him out from Jefferson's extensive shadow.There seem to be three significant phases in Madison's career:* The Early Federalist: Madison was a fairly strong federalist during the Constitutional Convention (1787); advocating a strong central government. As an example; he unsuccessfully proposed an "Absolute Negative" provision to the constitution under which the Senate could nullify any law of any state.* The States Rights Republican: In contrast; in 1798 Madison was the unacknowledged author of the Virginia Resolution in which Virginia declared that the federal government's Alien and Sedition Acts were unconstitutional and invited other states to join in seeking their repeal.* The Pragmatic President: With the US Government's finances in deep trouble following the War of 1812; Madison broke with past Republican opposition to the establishment of a national bank as unconstitutional and supported the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.Here is a small sample of the events centered around these two presidents that I found most interesting:* In 1782; Jefferson had a bad year. He was governor of Virginia at the time; the British drove him and the legislature from Richmond to Charlottesville and almost captured him; his wife died; and the legislature later investigate him for allowing the British to take Richmond (despite the fact that as governor he had little control over military matters). He was later exonerated and commended for his accomplishments as governor. After this string of negative events; Jefferson decided to retire from public life. Madison was the person primarily responsible for reversing this decision and convincing Jefferson to accept appointment as the minister to France. From that position; he became the first secretary of state under Washington after the constitution was ratified.* During Washington's administration; Madison evolved from acting as a close advisor to the president to leading the opposition to the administration in congress. It was Madison; more than Jefferson; who organized the Republican Party.* In the run-up to the 1800 presidential election; Jefferson; the presumptive Republican candidate; proposed to Madison that Madison should accept the Republican nomination to run against President John Adams.* Jefferson proposed a Virginia state constitution which had a fascinating clause: Any child born to a slave in 1801 or thereafter would be free as of his birth - an interesting way of phasing out slavery. Jefferson's draft constitution was not approved.* Jefferson agonized over his constitutional authority to purchase Louisiana from France in 1803; at one point considering a constitutional amendment necessary. Madison was instrumental in convincing Jefferson that the delay involved in amending the constitution would make the question moot - Napoleon wanted the money immediately to finance his European wars.* Both men supported the declaration of war against Britain in 1812. This was probably their greatest shared mistake. The US was woefully unprepared for war. Their strategy was based on the unrealistic assumptions that Canada would fall easily to a US invasion and willingly become part of the United States. The war was actually unnecessary: Britain had agreed to most of the US demands just prior to the US declaration of war; but that information didn't arrive in Washington until war had been declared.Although I give Madison and Jefferson five stars; I'll take mild exception with one conclusion the authors present at the end of the last chapter. They cite Madison's flexible position on federalism and states' rights as a basis for concluding that the concept of "original intent" makes no sense in interpreting the Constitution. I agree with them that the interpretation of the Constitution changed over Madison's life (to say nothing of the years since). However; I think there is still merit in trying to determine the intent not only of the Constitutional Convention but also of the subsequent state ratifying conventions; and the texts of the various amendments. I don't believe that there can be a single; unambiguous "original intent" that encompasses the views of Republicans Madison; Jefferson; and George Mason let alone Federalists such as Hamilton; Jay; and Marshall. However; examining the range of interpretations these individuals applied to the Constitution does help in determining whether and where a modern interpretation lies within that historical range.
