{"product_id":"colonial-new-york-a-history-paperback","title":"Colonial New York: A History - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Kammen\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, New York stands as the capital of American culture, business, and cosmopolitanism. Its size, influence, and multicultural composition mark it as a corner-stone of our country. The rich and varied history of early New York would seem to present a fertile topic for investigation to those\u003cbr\u003einterested colonial America. Yet, there has never been a modern history of old New York--until this lively and detailed account by Michael Kammen. \u003cbr\u003e Gracefully written and comprehensive in scope, \u003cem\u003eColonial New York\u003c\/em\u003e includes all of the political, social, economic, cultural, and religious aspects of New York's formative centuries. Social and ethnic diversity have always been characteristic of New York, and this was never so evident as in its\u003cbr\u003eearly years. This period provides the contemporary reader with a backward glance at what the United States would become in the twentieth-century. Colonial New York stood as a precursor of American society and culture as a whole: a broad model of the American experience we witness today.\u003cbr\u003e Kammen's history is enlivened by a look at some of the larger-than-life personalities who had tremendous impact on the many social and political adjustments necessary to the colony's continued growth. Here we meet Peter Stuyvesant, director of New Netherland and an executive of the West India\u003cbr\u003eCompany--a man facing the innumerable difficulties of governing a large, sprawling colony divided by Dutch, English, and Indian settlements. Ultimately, history would view him as a failure, but his strong, Calvinist approach left such an indelible stamp on the burgeoning colony that readers will be\u003cbr\u003etempted to do a little revisionist thinking about his tenure. Looking at a later governor, Lord Cornbury, gives us the very opposite example of a man despised by his contemporaries as the most venal of all the colonial governors (he was an occasional public cross-dresser, wearing the clothes of his\u003cbr\u003edistant cousin, Queen Anne), but who forcefully guided the colony through a transition to Anglican rule. The book culminates in chapters that investigate New York's strategic role in the bloody French and Indian War, and the key part it played in the economic protests and political conflict that\u003cbr\u003efinally led to American independence. \u003cbr\u003e The intricate and tangled web of alliances, loyalties, and shifting political ground that underlies much of colonial New York's past has clearly daunted many historians from taking on the task of writing an understandable account. Michael Kammen has accepted this challenge and gives us much more\u003cbr\u003ethan a mere chronicle. Rather, he paints a compelling portrait of colonial life as it truly was. Although this important book is thorough and informed by primary sources, \u003cem\u003eColonial New York\u003c\/em\u003e's clear and vivid prose offers a delightful narrative that will entertain both general readers and serious\u003cbr\u003escholars alike. It pays special attention to localities and contains numerous illustrations that are attentive to the decorative arts and the material culture of early New York. \u003cbr\u003e Surprising and enlightening, \u003cem\u003eColonial New York\u003c\/em\u003e is a delight to read and provides new perspectives on our nation's beginnings.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMichael Kammen\u003c\/strong\u003e is the Newton C. Farr Professor of American History and Culture at Cornell University. He is the author of a number of books, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem\u003ePeople of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization\u003c\/em\u003e. He is the author of many author award-winning books and, from 1981 to 1994, was a trustee of the New York State Historical Association.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 448\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.15 x 8.66 x 5.52 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 24, 2003\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42724616011839,"sku":"9780195107791","price":114.91,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/263fb2e6243e7f2c0f478af009daa4a7_beccb0f9-2ea7-450e-8671-11b4a7781c8f.webp?v=1765103290","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/colonial-new-york-a-history-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}