ePub Heart of Beirut: Reclaiming the Bourj by Samir Khalaf in History

Description

Most of us probably think of America as being settled by British Protestant colonists who fought the Indians tamed the wilderness; and brought democracy--or at least a representative republic--to North America. To the contrary; Elizabeth Caldwell Hirschman's research indicates the earliest settlers were of Mediterranean extraction; and of a Jewish or Muslim religious persuasion. Sometimes called Melungeons; these early settlers were among the earliest nonnative Americans to live in the Carolinas; Tennessee; Kentucky; Virginia; and West Virginia. For fear of discrimination-since Muslims; Jews; Indians; and other persons of color were often disenfranchised and abused--the Melungeons were reticent regarding their heritage. In fact over time; many of the Melungeons themselves forgot where they came from. Hence; today the Melungeons remain the last lost tribe in America; eyen to themselves. Yet; Hirschman; supported by DNA testing; genealogies; and a variety of historical documents; suggests that the Melungeons included such notable early Americans as Daniel Boone; John Sevier; Abraham Lincoln; Jefferson Davis; and Andrew Jackson. Once lost; but now forgotteno more.