Troy Terwilliger’s Reviews > New York > Status Update

The trial was a sensation because Zenger’s lawyer, A. Hamilton did something revolutionary. He admitted Zenger printed the articles but argued that the truth is a defense.
He told the jury that they had the right to determine the law themselves. When the jury found Zenger "Not Guilty," it was a massive blow to the "English Rulers." It established the foundation for what would eventually become the First Amendment.

Wow… is this book a first hand account of the revolutionary war or what?

The chapter title refers to her emotional journey. Unlike her ancestors who often married for "discretion" or "land," Susan is navigating a New York that is becoming more romanticized and individualistic.

• Do they protect their property by staying loyal to the Crown?

• Do they protect their "inner light" by joining the rebellion?

• Do they hide the secret wampum belt, a symbol of a land that existed before either "English" or "American" was a category?

Anglicans rising!

You’re seeing the "British New York" emerge, but because of people like Dirk and Pale Feather, you know there is a layer underneath that is Indigenous and Dutch. Then, with Quash, you see the African layer being added. It’s a literal "middle ground" where these groups are forced to navigate one another.

Rutherfurd captures that transition so well…the moment the pragmatism of the Dutch merchant class meets the imperial ambition of the English.
In 1664, the English fleet arrives in the harbor, and suddenly the "scrappy trading post" atmosphere of New Amsterdam is forced to change.

Van D. and a lot of harvest… the English man from Boston, the merchant Thomas.

Poor little Pale Feather…