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This book provides the essential, primary documentation needed to clarify, readjust, and, in some cases, destroy the many commonly held myths of America''s colonial past. America''s past is in many respects misunderstood and distorted. Even our secondary-level and college classrooms are not always capable of correcting the common misconceptions about Columbus and his discovery; Jamestown, John Smith, and Pocahontas; the Salem Witch Trials; and even the American Revolution. What is often lacking in texts on these events and people is a narrative with a solid underpinning of primary sources that clearly explains how misconceptions began, how they were perpetuated, and finally how they made their way into contemporary American popular culture. Colonial America: Facts and Fictions separates myth from reality. The authors explore 10 popular myths about the period, each of which is examined in terms of its origin and how it became ensconced in American memory. It uses primary sources to explain the evolution of the myths and to inform readers about what actually happened. This book explains all of this, and most importantly exposes the modern reader to those essential primary source documents that clarify the distortions and disprove the popular misconceptions of the past.>
List of contents
PrefaceIntroduction1. Columbus Was the First European to Discover the Western Hemisphere2. Captain John Smith and Pocahontas Had a Romantic Relationship3. Puritans and Pilgrims Are the Same People4. The First Thanksgiving Was a Shared Harvest Celebration5. Manhattan Island Was Purchased for $246. Witches Were Burned in Salem7. The Boston Tea Party Participants Threw Chests of Tea into the Sea to Hurt the British8. The American Revolution Was Fought by United Patriots against an Evil Oppressor9. Paul Revere Completed His Famous Ride Alone10. George Washington Had Wooden TeethBibliographyIndex
About the author
K. David Goss, MA, PhD cand., is professor of history and museum studies at Gordon College, Wenham, MA, USA.
A. A. Grishin, MA, is a professional multimedia developer, specializing in public history and education.
