Written to accompany Without Consent or Contract; this book is part of a two volume set which has been designed to fill out the portrait of slavery with detailed analyses of specific areas. This book looks at the conditions of slave life and the transition to freedom.
#244715 in Books 2003-10-14 2003-10-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.17 x 5.16l; 1.30 #File Name: 0385720882592 pagesPaperback with scene of pioneers and hills. 4x 10 inces549 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Informative. Alarmingly CaptivatingBy Terry TuckerThis is a focused and sweeping history of California that essentially begins with the Gold Rush of 1848. The author uses an abundance of primary sources to present this thesis - that the Gold Rush profoundly changed American and World History. This is a compelling history. The intersection of the lives of so many people; institutions and events is nothing short of astonishing.Sutter; Marshall; Fremont; Stanford; Sherman; Hearst and Hoover - all known in American history - are the foundational characters for this book. What is more interesting is how they influenced and shaped events and how those events would also shape them.This era of reckless and headlong rush would be boom and bane for individuals and the country as a whole.This book fills in many gaps that history has shortAll in all; this is a great book and great story. It is a little slow in the middle as the author uses first hand diary accounts to vividly paint a word picture of the mind set and essence of the time. But this is necessary and I encourage the reader to stay with it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Everything you ever wanted to know about Gold Rush era CaliforniaBy Lou M.This was the first book I've ever read by Brands and I can say that I like his style. (I also have his Andrew Jackson and American Colossus books.) He is extremely detailed but doesn't get lost in the weeds. He's also mindful of the politics of that age and it's affect on the civil war. I was fascinated to learn about the street games roaming San Francisco and how people of color got pushed out of the gold business; literally and figuratively. I was going to say that the political bits were dry; but no; they weren't. You have the creation of the republican party; with John C. Fremont as their first presidential candidate. John's wife Jessie Benton Fremont was also a formidable political figure and an opponent to slavery. This book also spends quite a bit of time showing how various people got to California. One party went through Death Valley and almost didn't make it out. The story about the poor souls that made the trip around "Cape Horn" is equally harrowing. Thinking back on the scope of this book; it's actually remarkable how Brands puts it all together in a cohesive and coherent way.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book is worth it's wieght in Gold.By Dr.Stanley ToompasExcellent piece of American history. I enjoyed it thoroughly and learned so much. Brands is one of my favorite historians and this book was great; as was his biographies of Franklin; Grant; FDR; Jackson; and TR.Dr. Stanley E. Toompas; Optometrist Author of; "I'm the One the Other Isn't"
