Winner of the Historical Society of Southern California's 2015 Neuerburg Award for the best book on Pre-Gold Rush CaliforniaFinalist for the Southern California Independent Bookseller Association's Best Nonfiction Book of 2014 A Zocalo Public Square Best Nonfiction Book of 2013A portrait of the priest and colonialist who is one of the most important figures in California's historyIn the 1770s; just as Britain's American subjects were freeing themselves from the burdens of colonial rule; Spaniards moved up the California coast to build frontier outposts of empire and church. At the head of this effort was JunÃpero Serra; an ambitious Franciscan who hoped to convert California Indians to Catholicism and turn them into European-style farmers. For his efforts; he has been beatified by the Catholic Church and widely celebrated as the man who laid the foundation for modern California. But his legacy is divisive. The missions Serra founded would devastate California's Native American population; and much more than his counterparts in colonial America; he remains a contentious and contested figure to this day.Steven W. Hackel's groundbreaking biography; JunÃpero Serra: California's Founding Father; is the first to remove Serra from the realm of polemic and place him within the currents of history. Born into a poor family on the Spanish island of Mallorca; Serra joined the Franciscan order and rose to prominence as a priest and professor through his feats of devotion and powers of intellect. But he could imagine no greater service to God than converting Indians; and in 1749 he set off for the new world. In Mexico; Serra first worked as a missionary to Indians and as an uncompromising agent of the Inquisition. He then became an itinerant preacher; gaining a reputation as a mesmerizing orator who could inspire; enthrall; and terrify his audiences at will. With a potent blend of Franciscan piety and worldly cunning; he outmaneuvered Spanish royal officials; rival religious orders; and avaricious settlers to establish himself as a peerless frontier administrator. In the culminating years of his life; he extended Spanish dominion north; founding and promoting missions in present-day San Diego; Los Angeles; Monterey; and San Francisco. But even Serra could not overcome the forces massing against him. California's military leaders rarely shared his zeal; Indians often opposed his efforts; and ultimately the missions proved to be cauldrons of disease and discontent. Serra; in his hope to save souls; unwittingly helped bring about the massive decline of California's indigenous population.On the three-hundredth anniversary of JunÃpero Serra's birth; Hackel's complex; authoritative biography tells the full story of a man whose life and legacies continue to be both celebrated and denounced. Based on exhaustive research and a vivid narrative; this is an essential portrait of America's least understood founder.
#1508538 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2011-02-01 2011-02-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.41 x 6.13l; 1.84 #File Name: 0807871982624 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy TigerhawkItem as described. Thanks.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A little gem for the 18th century specialistBy Scholar of the ShireThis is a really interesting take on the study of emotion in the 18th century; and as a resource to understanding how 18th century people not only felt but emoted; I think it's fantastic. The prose is challenging but interesting; and while I would not call it comprehensive; it's an excellent addition to the intellectual and emotional history of the Atlantic World. It very much sheds light on the terms and means in which the period framed its critical personal and political issues. Not light reading by any stretch; but highly useful to the specialist.3 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Tough goingBy fanofhistoryI appreciate the novelty of the argument of the author; but this is hard going even for someone seriously interested in colonial and cultural history. As always; this series with North Carolina produces an attractive book with a new approach; but the beauty is only skin-deep in this case. The prose makes for tough reading; the evidence is selective rather than representative; and the topic so narrowly concentrated that the author misses the wood for the trees. Yes; these were emotional times with conflicted characters; but is this surprising? Other than to give a little more of modern (painfully stretched argument at times) human face to some of these characters; what does all of this tell us about the period as a whole? Without answers to those questions (with serious supporting evidence) the book is little more than a reflective collection of observations.
