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A Nation Rising: Untold Tales from America's Hidden History – A Gritty, Irreverent, and Tumultuous US History of the Early 1800s
“History in Davis’s hands is loud, coarse, painful, funny, irreverent—and memorable.”
— San Francisco Chronicle Following on his New York Times bestsellers America’s Hidden History and Don’t Know Much About History , Ken Davis explores the next chapter in the country’s hidden the gritty first half of the 19th century, among the most tumultuous in the nation’s short life.
— San Francisco Chronicle Following on his New York Times bestsellers America’s Hidden History and Don’t Know Much About History , Ken Davis explores the next chapter in the country’s hidden the gritty first half of the 19th century, among the most tumultuous in the nation’s short life.
294 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Kenneth C. Davis
57 books424 followersKenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series of books and audios for adults and children. Don't Know Much About® History, the first title in the series, became a New York Times bestseller in 1991 and remained on the paperback list for 35 consecutive weeks. It has since been revised several times and now has more than 1.6 million copies in print. The 30th anniversary edition of the book was published with a new preface, "From an Era of Broken Trust to an Era of Broken Democracy."
Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."
AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.
Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.
His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.
STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.
In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.
Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.
Davis is, according to Publishers Weekly, "a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis."
AMERICA'S HIDDEN HISTORY also became a New York Times bestseller. A NATION RISING also uses dramatic narratives to tell the "stories your textbooks left out." His book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF AMERICA AT WAR (May 5, 2015) was called "searing" analysis by Publishers Weekly.
Kenneth C. Davis’s success aptly makes the case that Americans don’t hate history, just the dull version they slept through in class. Davis’s approach is to refresh us on the subjects we should have learned in school. He does it by busting myths, setting the record straight, and always remembering that fun is not a four-word letter word.
His IN THE SHADOW OF LIBERTY: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF SLAVERY, FOUR PRESIDENTS, AND FIVE BLACK LIVES looks at the lives of five people enslaved by four of America's most famous Presidents and the role of slavery in American history and the presidency. In May 2018, MORE DEADLY THAN WAR: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War was published.
STRONGMAN: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy was published by Holt. It was named among the best books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews and the Washington Post.
In November 2022 GREAT SHORT BOOKS: A Year of Reading--Briefly was published by SCribner. A compendium of 58 great short works Davis read during the pandemic lock down, it is a joyous celebration of reading.
Coming in October 2024 is THE WORLD IN BOOKS: 52 WORKS OF GREAT SHORT NONFICTION. It is an accessible and comprehensive guide to some of the most influential and important works of nonfiction, from the earliest days of writing to contemporary times. Each entry includes information about the writers behind these consequential books and the time in which they lived.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
January 12, 2019
Kenneth C. Davis rose to prominence as the author of the popular “Don’t Know Much About …” series, which was inspired by the Sam Cooke song lyric “don’t know much about history.” His most recent two books have been more ambitious efforts to continue what he had begun in his earlier books, but to do so in a more thorough and expansive manner. They could be called his “Hidden History” books.
The title of the first is “Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women & Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation.” The second, which is a follow-up to the first, and the subject of this review, is titled “A Nation Rising: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America’s Hidden History.” In other words, the reader gets more “hidden history,” not to mention more alliteration.
But hidden from whom? Well, like his “Don’t Know Much About…” series it would have to be the general public, for it certainly is not hidden from the people in the various fields that he writes about. But then he does write about a staggering assortment of subjects in his “Don’t Know Much About” books, everything from history and geography to dinosaurs, mummies, myths, and mythology. My two favorite titles in the series are “Don’t Know Much About the Universe” and “Don’t Know Much About Anything” – which are, and I suppose would have to be, the last entries in the series.
After writing about America’s colonial and revolutionary period and the founding of the nation in the first “hidden history” book, Davis moves on to the first half of the 19th century in “A Nation Rising.” His subjects include the trial of Aaron Burr (an early media circus); Indian wars and massacres (committed by both sides); slave uprisings and rebellions and retaliations; and public and political opposition to immigration that sometimes resulted in violent confrontations. (Since this account ends around 1850, can a “hidden history” of the Civil War be far away?)
Davis’ overarching theme is best expressed by the quotation that he takes from Nancy Isenberg’s biography of Aaron Burr, “Fallen Founder.”
Isenberg wrote:
“What separates history from myth is that history takes in the whole picture, whereas myth averts our eyes from the truth when it turns men into heroes and gods.”
Because Davis writes about some of the darker episodes of our early history and attempts to explode some myths and set the record straight, as he sees it, it is not a book that everyone will agree with and many will find to be an irritant.
For example, this Amazon customer, who found the book to be more than irritating:
“Thanks for ripping me off, Davis, but I understand that's just what you liberals do; rip off hard workers and spit on America with cowardly cheap shots from behind your trust-fund Macs and lattes in your rent subsidized NYC apartments.”
Another wrote:
“If you are a liberal who thrives on apologetic politics of how bad our founding fathers are, then you will love this book. However, if you are a fair-minded person who is interested in the history of this great nation, then either avoid this book completely, or at least skip the introduction…. I must confess that I stopped before I got through the first historical segment on Aaron Burr because I could not take anymore.”
I have always admired reviewers who are able to write critical reviews of books that they have not read. Therefore, the above review greatly influenced my own opinion of the book, even though I did read it.
There are also favorable reviews by Amazon customers. And a "People" magazine reviewer even went so far as to describe reading Davis as being like "returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had." Ironically, the man who writes about practically everything in the universe – including the universe – did not graduate from college. Or maybe it isn’t ironic at all.
The title of the first is “Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women & Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation.” The second, which is a follow-up to the first, and the subject of this review, is titled “A Nation Rising: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America’s Hidden History.” In other words, the reader gets more “hidden history,” not to mention more alliteration.
But hidden from whom? Well, like his “Don’t Know Much About…” series it would have to be the general public, for it certainly is not hidden from the people in the various fields that he writes about. But then he does write about a staggering assortment of subjects in his “Don’t Know Much About” books, everything from history and geography to dinosaurs, mummies, myths, and mythology. My two favorite titles in the series are “Don’t Know Much About the Universe” and “Don’t Know Much About Anything” – which are, and I suppose would have to be, the last entries in the series.
After writing about America’s colonial and revolutionary period and the founding of the nation in the first “hidden history” book, Davis moves on to the first half of the 19th century in “A Nation Rising.” His subjects include the trial of Aaron Burr (an early media circus); Indian wars and massacres (committed by both sides); slave uprisings and rebellions and retaliations; and public and political opposition to immigration that sometimes resulted in violent confrontations. (Since this account ends around 1850, can a “hidden history” of the Civil War be far away?)
Davis’ overarching theme is best expressed by the quotation that he takes from Nancy Isenberg’s biography of Aaron Burr, “Fallen Founder.”
Isenberg wrote:
“What separates history from myth is that history takes in the whole picture, whereas myth averts our eyes from the truth when it turns men into heroes and gods.”
Because Davis writes about some of the darker episodes of our early history and attempts to explode some myths and set the record straight, as he sees it, it is not a book that everyone will agree with and many will find to be an irritant.
For example, this Amazon customer, who found the book to be more than irritating:
“Thanks for ripping me off, Davis, but I understand that's just what you liberals do; rip off hard workers and spit on America with cowardly cheap shots from behind your trust-fund Macs and lattes in your rent subsidized NYC apartments.”
Another wrote:
“If you are a liberal who thrives on apologetic politics of how bad our founding fathers are, then you will love this book. However, if you are a fair-minded person who is interested in the history of this great nation, then either avoid this book completely, or at least skip the introduction…. I must confess that I stopped before I got through the first historical segment on Aaron Burr because I could not take anymore.”
I have always admired reviewers who are able to write critical reviews of books that they have not read. Therefore, the above review greatly influenced my own opinion of the book, even though I did read it.
There are also favorable reviews by Amazon customers. And a "People" magazine reviewer even went so far as to describe reading Davis as being like "returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had." Ironically, the man who writes about practically everything in the universe – including the universe – did not graduate from college. Or maybe it isn’t ironic at all.
July 23, 2021
I have to admit that until recently I have never really enjoyed modern history much...especially U.S. history. Growing up, I always preferred ancient history: Sumer, Babylon, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Israel. Most of my history books were incredibly dry and dull, dull, dull. Dates, policies, laws, and cardboard characters.
Kenneth C. Davis does a great job of bringing history to life, making it exciting, and painting historical players in living color. He tells six tales, starting with Aaron Burr and ending with Jessie Fremont. The writing is highly readable and entertaining. I wish I could have read history books like this in high school and college.
Kenneth C. Davis does a great job of bringing history to life, making it exciting, and painting historical players in living color. He tells six tales, starting with Aaron Burr and ending with Jessie Fremont. The writing is highly readable and entertaining. I wish I could have read history books like this in high school and college.
Read
July 31, 2011For a popular book of history, this is about as close to perfect as a one can get. Short, focused chapters, connections to present-day dilemmas, hidden villains and heroes (like John C. Fremont who really is due), Davis deserves a lot of credit here.
Davis sees echoes of 19th-century history in post-9/11 America, and he provides them without veering into polemic. As I read this, I kept thinking of "A People's History of the United States," for the way it illuminated the lives of oppressed peoples--Southern Indian tribes, slaves, Catholic immigrants. Yet Davis lets the facts speak for themselves and leaves plenty of room for readers to reach their own conclusions.
What really struck me was how many of these "untold tales" were located in the South. I live in Tennessee, and yet I found new insights into such events as the Creek & Seminole Wars, slave uprisings, and the addition of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi into the Union. Unlike the West, where Native Americans still factor into the culture because of the proximity of so many reservations, Indians in the South are both gone and forgotten.
I learned a lot. I think that's the highest compliment I can pay any book, and this one certainly earned that accolade.
Davis sees echoes of 19th-century history in post-9/11 America, and he provides them without veering into polemic. As I read this, I kept thinking of "A People's History of the United States," for the way it illuminated the lives of oppressed peoples--Southern Indian tribes, slaves, Catholic immigrants. Yet Davis lets the facts speak for themselves and leaves plenty of room for readers to reach their own conclusions.
What really struck me was how many of these "untold tales" were located in the South. I live in Tennessee, and yet I found new insights into such events as the Creek & Seminole Wars, slave uprisings, and the addition of Florida, Alabama and Mississippi into the Union. Unlike the West, where Native Americans still factor into the culture because of the proximity of so many reservations, Indians in the South are both gone and forgotten.
I learned a lot. I think that's the highest compliment I can pay any book, and this one certainly earned that accolade.
October 23, 2018
Interesting and more in depth than I was expecting.
May 30, 2010
fundamentalism? birthers? corrupt politicians? are we doomed to repeat the past?
Kenneth C. Davis does an amazing job of making this oft-overlooked period of American history come to life by telling the story of people who, in their day, were household names, but now have diminished.
The author writes history in such an accomplished and welcoming way that the reader is drawn in and carried along by the narrative.
Davis first came to my attention as the author of "Don't Know Much About History", almost 20 years ago. His belief in telling the truth and not repeating historical myth, coupled with simple question and answer format were immediately compelling.
In "A Nation Rising" he switches gears to a narrative form and does so in a captivating and successful manner. The stories he tells and the connections to our modern day situation make for illuminating reading.
Kenneth C. Davis does an amazing job of making this oft-overlooked period of American history come to life by telling the story of people who, in their day, were household names, but now have diminished.
The author writes history in such an accomplished and welcoming way that the reader is drawn in and carried along by the narrative.
Davis first came to my attention as the author of "Don't Know Much About History", almost 20 years ago. His belief in telling the truth and not repeating historical myth, coupled with simple question and answer format were immediately compelling.
In "A Nation Rising" he switches gears to a narrative form and does so in a captivating and successful manner. The stories he tells and the connections to our modern day situation make for illuminating reading.
June 11, 2010
For the great enemy of truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold to the cliches of our forebears.... We enjoy the comfort of opinion with out the discomfort of thought.
– John F. Kennedy as quoted by Kenneth Davis
Author Kenneth C. Davis does not look at the history of the United States through rose-colored glasses. This has earned him some very vocal critics and some admirers. He is the author of the “Don't Know Much About” series of books, but I had not read any of his writing before this book.
Based solely on A Nation Rising, I fall into the admirer camp. While I am a loyal and patriotic American, I believe that as a country, we cannot decrease the mistakes of our future unless we recognize the mistakes of our past. There has been too much whitewashing of our history, and when I was a student, I got only the heavily sanitized version.
The book contains six chapters, each dealing with an aspect of the U. S. during the first half of the 19th century. With titles such as “Burr's Trial” and “Weatherford's War,” I expected the book to perhaps be too narrow in scope and somewhat boring. I was entirely wrong. Mr. Davis includes the history necessary to understand each chapter. At the beginning of each, he includes a time line and some great quotes.
I have two issues with the book. I think the book would be better received if Mr. Davis had left out the comparisons to President Bush. Whether or not I agree with his viewpoint, they did not seem to fit into a history of the period. The second issue is just an “I wish.” I would have liked illustrations of some of the artwork and portraits he mentioned. All in all, I very much enjoyed this informative and entertaining book.
– John F. Kennedy as quoted by Kenneth Davis
Author Kenneth C. Davis does not look at the history of the United States through rose-colored glasses. This has earned him some very vocal critics and some admirers. He is the author of the “Don't Know Much About” series of books, but I had not read any of his writing before this book.
Based solely on A Nation Rising, I fall into the admirer camp. While I am a loyal and patriotic American, I believe that as a country, we cannot decrease the mistakes of our future unless we recognize the mistakes of our past. There has been too much whitewashing of our history, and when I was a student, I got only the heavily sanitized version.
The book contains six chapters, each dealing with an aspect of the U. S. during the first half of the 19th century. With titles such as “Burr's Trial” and “Weatherford's War,” I expected the book to perhaps be too narrow in scope and somewhat boring. I was entirely wrong. Mr. Davis includes the history necessary to understand each chapter. At the beginning of each, he includes a time line and some great quotes.
I have two issues with the book. I think the book would be better received if Mr. Davis had left out the comparisons to President Bush. Whether or not I agree with his viewpoint, they did not seem to fit into a history of the period. The second issue is just an “I wish.” I would have liked illustrations of some of the artwork and portraits he mentioned. All in all, I very much enjoyed this informative and entertaining book.
June 14, 2010
History buffs who like to see how trends wax and wane over time will enjoy Kenneth Davis's comparisons. Davis (and I) were amazed at how many times in our countries early history the same names intersect in completely different places and situations.
Aaron Burr shaped our history as vice president and duelist of Alexander Hamilton; he was also the victim of an outed memo that lead to a trial for treason. The thwarting of Thomas Jefferson's claim of executive power lead to a precedent that shows the ability of one branch to prosecute and participate as grand jury can lead to horrific miscarriages of justice.
Davis once again takes forgotten figures in history and links them to current happenings, proving that everything has happened before, at least within the proper context. The timelines he provides help place each chapter in the moment. Davis uses the end of each chapter to examine the links between past and present.
Even those who aren't huge fans of history will be interested in the stories and real-life characters within. It's an easy, quick read, and an educational one.
Aaron Burr shaped our history as vice president and duelist of Alexander Hamilton; he was also the victim of an outed memo that lead to a trial for treason. The thwarting of Thomas Jefferson's claim of executive power lead to a precedent that shows the ability of one branch to prosecute and participate as grand jury can lead to horrific miscarriages of justice.
Davis once again takes forgotten figures in history and links them to current happenings, proving that everything has happened before, at least within the proper context. The timelines he provides help place each chapter in the moment. Davis uses the end of each chapter to examine the links between past and present.
Even those who aren't huge fans of history will be interested in the stories and real-life characters within. It's an easy, quick read, and an educational one.
June 6, 2010
I won this book through goodreads first-reads!
The Author tells informative, short, mostly readable, stories of an important period of history between the American Revolution and the westward expansion. Untold tales are interesting, but the real value to me was what these tales revealed about the characters in them. Kenneth Davis did a great job of putting their lives and actions in a meaningful context.
The Author tells informative, short, mostly readable, stories of an important period of history between the American Revolution and the westward expansion. Untold tales are interesting, but the real value to me was what these tales revealed about the characters in them. Kenneth Davis did a great job of putting their lives and actions in a meaningful context.
October 15, 2024
A good book on its own but also a good companion book to “Summer Moon” and “Brutal Reckoning”.
October 26, 2010
It was interesting to read about a few events in history that are usually unknown to most readers. The mark of a great historian is the ability to relate past events to current & to make them relavent, however, I found it a little telling, that Davis relates a couple of the "negative" events only conservative (or Republican) politicians. He shows himself to be a bit of an "Obama fan" in his relating hereos & trailblazers to Obama - gee, any surprise that this author is from Vermont? I also disagree with Davis' assertion that the Monroe Doctrine (this "other Monroe Doctrine" he calls it)in relation to Americans' dealings with Indians is essentially ethnic cleansing. He forgets that, in the centuries old history of territorial control, our story is not uncommon. But, as with ALL liberals, the whites are ALL bad & the Indians are the innocent victims...so typical! His liberalism & political-correctness also makes him fail to see the connection between Nat Turner (who led a slave revolt in which he killed not only his master but his wife & children & intended for many more whites of all ages to die) & Obama's Reverend Jeremiah Wright: he describes Turner as a mystic & a preacher of a slave church that was a center for underground slave plottings preaching "white hate". He went on to conclude that, due to these churches & earlier slave revolts, whites were understandably frightened...yet, he, among other liberals in our country, fail to see why many Americans are concerned about churches, headed by preachers such as Reverend Wright, that preach hate & the over-throw of our current "white" society... He also goes into great detail about the massacre at Fort Mims during which a group of Creek Indian warriors killed & mutilated not only men, but women, children, & pregnant women but then must forget about all of that further in the chapter when describing the Trail of Tears when these "innocent" Native Americans are forced west by U.S. soldiers. While I don't condone everything perpetrated on Native Americans in our history, many historians seem to forget the past sins of Indians while speaking only of the sins of the whites. I had professors like him in college who have been in the world of academia a little too long & not in the REAL world much...
October 16, 2020
A few episodes in American history, generally glossed over if ever covered at all - given pretty good coverage, but sometimes missing context. For instance, he starts the story about the Creek Wars with the Fort Mims Massacre - after the Red Sticks have already been established- but the Red Sticks were formed in reaction to the violent encroachment on their lands. He does some backfilling to try and explain the earlier history, later, but he's already sensationalized the action and you can't un-poison the well.
He starts with a sympathetic treatment of Aaron Burr, then a discussion of the wars on the Creek and Seminole Nations, the anti-Irish anti-Catholic riots in Philly, and closes with a biographical sketch of Jessie and John Fremont.
If you don't want to invest the time in a full length book on any of these topics, I guess this is a good "Readers Digest" snapshot of these people and their times.
He does make this weird claim about how our the Mexican War was our first imperial war of expansion AFTER two long sections detailing our wars against the Creek and Seminole Nations. Even a historian who writes about our wars on the First Nations peoples of the continent don't think "they count" in the same way our other wars do. We all put them in a different mental bucket. Shameful.
Anyway - the sections bookending the book are good- Burr deserves more attention, as do the Fremonts. Otherwise, not really all that good.
He starts with a sympathetic treatment of Aaron Burr, then a discussion of the wars on the Creek and Seminole Nations, the anti-Irish anti-Catholic riots in Philly, and closes with a biographical sketch of Jessie and John Fremont.
If you don't want to invest the time in a full length book on any of these topics, I guess this is a good "Readers Digest" snapshot of these people and their times.
He does make this weird claim about how our the Mexican War was our first imperial war of expansion AFTER two long sections detailing our wars against the Creek and Seminole Nations. Even a historian who writes about our wars on the First Nations peoples of the continent don't think "they count" in the same way our other wars do. We all put them in a different mental bucket. Shameful.
Anyway - the sections bookending the book are good- Burr deserves more attention, as do the Fremonts. Otherwise, not really all that good.
March 14, 2012
I enjoyed reading Kenneth C Davis' A Nation Rising for its coverage of American history, its connections with today's world, and for the personalities he coveraged. One of the most interesting Americans is Jesse Benton Fremont who made her way across the Isthmus of Panama to reach her husband, or her elopment with the man she loved. Her life encompassed nearly three quarters of the 19th century and I think we need a good biography of her life. I know from reading Abraham Lincoln, she was a pest to him. I think Davis did a commendable job weaving the threads of history from the colonial period with Aaron Burr to the 1850s. His coverage of the conflict between Protestants and Catholic was good, however, I wished he had added the Vatican's position of democracy and republicanism that Protestants were aware of by the Churches support of the monarchies; especially in the 1848 Revolutions in Europe. See David Goldfield's America Aflame recently published. And with respect to the African American uprisings in America, he covered well the events of uprisings in the Carribbean. There are some errors, President Taylor dying of Cholera that is not true. The author's effort to make history interesting is his greatest strength and I would suggest other read this book.
July 3, 2010
For the great enemy of Truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the Myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold to the clichés of our fore bearers. We envy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. - JFK
In many ways, the period of 1800 to 1860, while often kept in the recesses of our collective American memory, much like the crazy uncle we hope won't embarrass us at yet another family gathering, is perhaps the most telling and most "american" of any of our epochs. Davis, though a weak writer, takes us on a journey of discovery of several key formations of who we are as a people. Unfortunately, for every John Marshall moment -- judicial review (Marbury v. Madison) or limits on Executive power (Burr treason trial), there are twice as many cringe inducing revelations. From the Indian "removal" to the "slave revolts" many themes and our calculated compromises, bedevil us to this day. Immigration, states rights are just some of the current national agenda items which have their unresolved roots in this dynamic period.
In many ways, the period of 1800 to 1860, while often kept in the recesses of our collective American memory, much like the crazy uncle we hope won't embarrass us at yet another family gathering, is perhaps the most telling and most "american" of any of our epochs. Davis, though a weak writer, takes us on a journey of discovery of several key formations of who we are as a people. Unfortunately, for every John Marshall moment -- judicial review (Marbury v. Madison) or limits on Executive power (Burr treason trial), there are twice as many cringe inducing revelations. From the Indian "removal" to the "slave revolts" many themes and our calculated compromises, bedevil us to this day. Immigration, states rights are just some of the current national agenda items which have their unresolved roots in this dynamic period.
June 25, 2010
This book is a spicy side dish of history. I was short and entertaining but it open up whole worlds of history that I know I never learned about in high school history class. The genius of of Kenneth Davis is that he presents history in a way that appeals to the part of us that loves a good story. I will never forget Davis's description of Jessie Fremont traveling across Panama to reach her husband in California. Through her story, I learned about the California gold rush and the abolitionist movement. Some people have the historian gene and are able to retain long lists of names and dates. This is a book for the rest of us.
July 19, 2010
Davis, author of the popular "Don't Know Much About History" books, focuses on American history between 1800 and 1850, a period that is too often neglected, in his view. Using his great storytelling skills, Davis zeroes in on six different stories:
Aaron Burr's 1807 trial for treason
An Indian rising in the South in 1813
Slave revolts and mutinies, beginning with the Creole (although there's a a great explanation of General Toussaint-Louverture's leadership in the Haitian slave revolts)
The Dade Massacre and the start of the second Seminole War
The Bible Riots in Philadelpha, and
the story of Jesse Benton Fremont and the role she played in the settling of California.
Aaron Burr's 1807 trial for treason
An Indian rising in the South in 1813
Slave revolts and mutinies, beginning with the Creole (although there's a a great explanation of General Toussaint-Louverture's leadership in the Haitian slave revolts)
The Dade Massacre and the start of the second Seminole War
The Bible Riots in Philadelpha, and
the story of Jesse Benton Fremont and the role she played in the settling of California.
August 24, 2021
I probably underrated this book. Maybe I should have given it three stars. The accounts the author relates are interesting and adequately written, but the author's primary agenda is reacting against his perception that we only hear positive accounts of early American Presidents and heroic figures. He makes it a point to emphasize the flaws of traditionally heroic historical figures, without including positive, redeeming episodes that are likewise unknown - like the reconciliation between Adams and Jefferson before they died. We need facts and balance. His emphasis on only the negative is as much in error as the opposite.
February 3, 2022
A bunch of interesting stories but lacks overall thematic cohesion. KD tells and doesn't show how historical events are connected to the present day explicitly at times which for me broke the flow of the narrative he is trying to tell.
September 13, 2010
this book was good. It is a great history book that goes over people who are less known. My favorite part was the part that was on aaron burr.
October 25, 2010
Interesting portrait of some of history's "heroes"
Very good look at how times and perceptions change, as how some who were viewed as heroes for years are now considered to be "villains"
Very good look at how times and perceptions change, as how some who were viewed as heroes for years are now considered to be "villains"
December 5, 2022
This book is comprised of deep dives into several different historical events, most of which I had only a little awareness. Because of the format, I took a while reading this, pausing to read other books after finishing a chapter. In the introduction, Kenneth Davis discusses his reasoning for selecting each event to delve into. He discusses a visit to a Florida museum where a massacre of French soldiers was reframed as them being banished because the actual history is too ugly to share. We have airbrushed our history because there is much to be ashamed of, if we were willing to learn it in the first place.
The first chapter concerned Aaron Burr's trial for treason. Burr is an interesting example of a divisive historical figure, who can be easily looked on as a hero or a villain. In 1805, after the Louisiana Purchase he got involved with a plan to take a private army of mercenaries and 'liberate' part of the continent currently under Spanish rule. Andrew Jackson was involved in some of the planning stages, but withdrew and notified Jefferson when he realized that Burr wanted to make himself leader of the new territory rather than merging it with the United States. At the trial, James Wilkinson was one of the chief witnesses, and rather a shady character since he had been in the pay of the Spanish authorities for many years.
Several chapters discuss Andrew Jackson, a president who looks increasingly sketchy by modern standards in his eagerness to annex indigenous lands in what is currently Alabama and Mississippi and move the native population west. When the native populations fought back and killed whites, that was used as a pretext for wholesale war. This was even the case in the Seminole Wars in Florida, where the swampy land was not valuable for farming, but white slave owners were nervous about the multi-ethic alliance between the Seminole people and escaped slaves who had found a home with them.
Davis points out that US policy against native populations was the essential equivalent of 'Ethnic Cleansing', the deliberate forced relocation or eradication of native populations who held land that white people wanted. It was a story of endless betrayals, butchery and broken promises...Hollywood has left the impression that the great Indian wars took place in the Old west during the late 1800s...But in fact it was a mopping up effort. By then, the vast majority of Native nations were nearly wiped out.
Uprisings of enslaved people were a fear of southern slave owners, and those that occurred were punished with great bloodshed. No one in the United States wanted a repeat of the uprising in Haiti led by Toussaint. One of the chapters discusses several of these abortive uprisings, including one by Madison Washington, a slave that led a takeover of the slave ship Creole.
Another chapter dealt with anti-catholic sentiment in the 1830s. There were the Bible Riots in Philadelphia, where catholic churches and convents were burned over a request from a local bishop that Catholic students be allowed to use a different translation than the King James bible in school (public schools of the time frequently used the bible in lessons).
This was an interesting book, with a lot of information to think about.
The first chapter concerned Aaron Burr's trial for treason. Burr is an interesting example of a divisive historical figure, who can be easily looked on as a hero or a villain. In 1805, after the Louisiana Purchase he got involved with a plan to take a private army of mercenaries and 'liberate' part of the continent currently under Spanish rule. Andrew Jackson was involved in some of the planning stages, but withdrew and notified Jefferson when he realized that Burr wanted to make himself leader of the new territory rather than merging it with the United States. At the trial, James Wilkinson was one of the chief witnesses, and rather a shady character since he had been in the pay of the Spanish authorities for many years.
Several chapters discuss Andrew Jackson, a president who looks increasingly sketchy by modern standards in his eagerness to annex indigenous lands in what is currently Alabama and Mississippi and move the native population west. When the native populations fought back and killed whites, that was used as a pretext for wholesale war. This was even the case in the Seminole Wars in Florida, where the swampy land was not valuable for farming, but white slave owners were nervous about the multi-ethic alliance between the Seminole people and escaped slaves who had found a home with them.
Davis points out that US policy against native populations was the essential equivalent of 'Ethnic Cleansing', the deliberate forced relocation or eradication of native populations who held land that white people wanted. It was a story of endless betrayals, butchery and broken promises...Hollywood has left the impression that the great Indian wars took place in the Old west during the late 1800s...But in fact it was a mopping up effort. By then, the vast majority of Native nations were nearly wiped out.
Uprisings of enslaved people were a fear of southern slave owners, and those that occurred were punished with great bloodshed. No one in the United States wanted a repeat of the uprising in Haiti led by Toussaint. One of the chapters discusses several of these abortive uprisings, including one by Madison Washington, a slave that led a takeover of the slave ship Creole.
Another chapter dealt with anti-catholic sentiment in the 1830s. There were the Bible Riots in Philadelphia, where catholic churches and convents were burned over a request from a local bishop that Catholic students be allowed to use a different translation than the King James bible in school (public schools of the time frequently used the bible in lessons).
This was an interesting book, with a lot of information to think about.
June 30, 2023
American history has become a fascination recently. Kenneth C. Davis’ book isn’t any kind of comprehensive treatment, but it is readable and very interesting. As the subtitle indicates, it features stories not often told about our early history. The first chapter covers Aaron Burr’s trial, and I suspect this book might’ve benefitted a bit from Hamilton, although written much earlier.
The other chapter titles will likely underscore the obscurity of the events: “Weatherford’s War,” “Madison’s Mutiny,” “Dade’s Promise,” “Morse’s Code,” and “Jessie’s Journey.” There is an overall arch here, basically telling the story of national expansion from sea to sea, and not gentling down the crimes against American Indians. Davis has a real knack for pulling out unusual happenings and connecting them to the larger picture.
My blog post on the book (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) describes how I came to be interested in American history. I suspect that if books like this had been available when I was younger, and if I bothered to read them, I would’ve grown interested sooner. It’s good to know where you’re from, even if it’s not all sweetness and light. I recommend Davis to anyone interested in lesser known early Americana.
The other chapter titles will likely underscore the obscurity of the events: “Weatherford’s War,” “Madison’s Mutiny,” “Dade’s Promise,” “Morse’s Code,” and “Jessie’s Journey.” There is an overall arch here, basically telling the story of national expansion from sea to sea, and not gentling down the crimes against American Indians. Davis has a real knack for pulling out unusual happenings and connecting them to the larger picture.
My blog post on the book (Sects and Violence in the Ancient World) describes how I came to be interested in American history. I suspect that if books like this had been available when I was younger, and if I bothered to read them, I would’ve grown interested sooner. It’s good to know where you’re from, even if it’s not all sweetness and light. I recommend Davis to anyone interested in lesser known early Americana.
October 28, 2019
I was forced to put this audiobook aside for a few days after getting about half way through, then picked it back up and finished once time permitted. Fortunately that worked out fine given the way topics were segmented. Overall this book felt like a fresh, though sometimes very difficult perspective, on a fascinating period in American history. As the author intended, there were many things I wasn't familiar with from my (long-ago) school days or subsequent reading. However, he treated one subject I was quite familiar with in an offhanded and flawed way which left me wondering if he perhaps had shaded other things or hadn't done justice to them as well. Speaking of flawed, I suppose one big take-away from the book is just how nuanced and "real" the people who founded and shaped our country really were and just how prone people are to be violent, brutal, or even commit atrocities upon each other.
December 17, 2021
Even though one has read a lot of history there are facts one might not have come across. For instance - Aaron Burr introduced legislation to give women the right to vote. Though I knew the election of 1800 was hotly contested I didn't know that there were groups advocating an armed march on the capital (much like Jan. 6, 2021). While I am familiar with a lot of the information in this book there were incidents I was unaware of. I know that history, for the most part, has been written from a patriarchal view so I wasn't too surprised that when the author mentioned transcendentalism he didn't mention Elizabeth Peabody. However, the question now arises - at what age should children be taught the truth about the conquest of America and the bases of its economic strength throughout its history? Perhaps the camp 'thanksgiving" celebration scene in Adams Family Values should be required viewing in early elementary school as it is more accurate than what is being taught in schools nowadays.
September 13, 2021
I've always felt you should never start a book review or movie review with. . ."well, if you understand what this is meant to be. . ." and then make excuses for it. ..
Well, if you understand what this book is meant to be. . .
Davis covers excellent material with short chapters of stories and events many armchair historians have already read in more detailed books.
However, Davis never fails to tell the story well, sites historians who have gone into greater detail, and ties it together with current events. At 253 pages, you can't go wrong here while adding to your book count for the year. Absolute four stars for the content.
The fifth star left out because. . .well, you understand what this book is meant to be. . .
Well, if you understand what this book is meant to be. . .
Davis covers excellent material with short chapters of stories and events many armchair historians have already read in more detailed books.
However, Davis never fails to tell the story well, sites historians who have gone into greater detail, and ties it together with current events. At 253 pages, you can't go wrong here while adding to your book count for the year. Absolute four stars for the content.
The fifth star left out because. . .well, you understand what this book is meant to be. . .
December 2, 2019
Mr. Davis documents six little-known or almost-forgotten incidents in 19th-century American history, from the treason trial of Aaron Burr (you know, the guy who shot Alexander Hamilton), to the spotty career of John C. Fremont. If history had been taught like this in school, more of us might have remembered more about it. However, Mr. Davis is not a hero-worshipper; when he paints a portrait in words, it is "warts and all."
June 25, 2018
Lots of interesting history and little known facts about our forefathers. It points out once again man's inhumane treatment of fellow man - just because they don't look like you, talk like you, or think like you. We have so much to improve upon in this country - I hope we can before we run out of time.
September 12, 2018
3.5 stars. Interesting stories from the nooks and crannies of history that act as keyhole through which the reader can get a sense of the broader American identity at that time. As a whole though, there isn't much explanation of why any of this matters which should be requisite for any good history writing.
July 16, 2022
A modern version of history
Apparently the author did a lot of research. Unfortunately it looked like it came from books published within the past thirty years. That was disappointing. I have books published in the 1800's that portrays history a little bit different.
But, it was very entertaining.
Apparently the author did a lot of research. Unfortunately it looked like it came from books published within the past thirty years. That was disappointing. I have books published in the 1800's that portrays history a little bit different.
But, it was very entertaining.
June 28, 2017
A well-told account of the period of American history from about 1800 to 1850. Although this period is often glossed over quickly if it is taught at all in public schools, events during this time are still influencing everyday American life and politics.
April 6, 2024
This book delves into some of the darker aspects of the first half of 19th century America. I think it's not a bad read, and has picked some interesting stories, but the storytelling jumps around a bit and can be distracting.
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