New England History: Legend and Reality

The next section in the A-Z List, the 900s, tackles history. Like the 300s, this section is too big for me to adequately narrow down, so I may come back to it again.

After a very quick perusal through the stacks, I decided to focus on New England history although, technically, the first book refers to events in New Jersey, namely, Washington Crossing the Delaware.

And here is the legend, captured by Emanuel Leutze:

The reality is far more interesting. It is well-captured by The Crossing, starring Jeff Bridges as well as Roger Rees and Sebastian Roche. The movie is based on the book The Crossing by Howard Fast, 973.332 (in my local library), a quick read.

One of my favorite aspects of the movie--and the book--is the timing. The painting looks properly heroic. The truth is that the Marblehead watermen had to load and ferry the soldiers across the river on several trips. It took all night and is one of the most heroically deliberate acts of the American Revolution.

The other 900 book is Salem Possessed, which occasionally shows up in the 300s as well as the 900s. Although the book by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum is often debated now, it was the first serious work of Salem that didn't fall back on psychology and conspiracy theories to explain what happened.

Boyer and Nissenbaum examine Salem Town and Salem Village as working environments with extensive histories. The accusers and accused become real people with family and business ties, long-running grudges, and strong religious opinions. With their work, Boyer and Nissenbaum updated the myth of "superstitious Puritans with Freudian tendencies" to "very real human beings who now-a-days would sue each other in civil court"--far more comprehensible.

The third 900 book is Sarah Vowell's Wordy Shipmates, referring to Puritans from the Mayflower specifically and the Massachusetts Bay Colony generally. I don't necessarily agree with Sarah Vowell's politics, but I love her dry tone (for those not in the know, she is the voice of Violet on The Incredibles) as well as her willingness to see multiple sides of any story. Her own family history is complexly American; consequently, she doesn't pit one group against the other. She wants to understand all her ancestors. I find this so refreshing--and insightful--I happily recommend any of her books: