Planting an Empire explores the social and economic history of the Chesapeake region; revealing a story of two similar but distinct colonies in early America.Linked by the Chesapeake Bay; Virginia and Maryland formed a prosperous and politically important region in British North America before the American Revolution. Yet these "sister" colonies―alike in climate and soil; emphasis on tobacco farming; and use of enslaved labor―eventually followed divergent social and economic paths. Jean B. Russo and J. Elliott Russo review the shared history of these two colonies; examining not only their unsteady origins; the powerful role of tobacco; and the slow development of a settler society but also the economic disparities and political jealousies that divided them.Recounting the rich history of the Chesapeake Bay region over a 150-year period; the authors discuss in clear and accessible prose the key developments common to both colonies as well as important regional events; including Maryland's "plundering time;" Bacon’s Rebellion in Virginia; and the opening battles of the French and Indian War. They explain how the internal differences and regional discord of the seventeenth century gave way in the eighteenth century to a more coherent regional culture fostered by a shared commitment to slavery and increasing socio-economic maturity.Addressing an undergraduate audience; the Russos study not just wealthy plantation owners and government officials but all the people involved in planting an empire in the Chesapeake region―poor and middling planters; women; Native Americans; enslaved and free blacks; and non-English immigrants. No other book offers such a comprehensive brief history of the Maryland and Virginia colonies and their place within the emerging British Empire.
#376948 in Books 2010-07-06 2010-07-06Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x 1.20 x 5.50l; .97 #File Name: 1416535349496 pages
Review
93 of 96 people found the following review helpful. EnticingBy Chris ThompsonSimon Winchester's review above does not give this book justice; although I must say that Lester's ability to spin a great story around an arcane subject may rival Winchester's. To me this book is about so much more than the naming of America on a map - it is really about the process of discovery and enlightenment and the pitfalls and pratfalls along the way. I ordered the book in an attempt to research an even more arcane issue I did not find in the book; but was immediately captivated by the exposition; and set my current book aside to read this to completion.The title of the book could maybe not be more cryptic or off-putting; but don't let that deter you. The Fourth Part of the World refers to the somewhat mythical; yet actual undiscovered lands (after Asia; Europe and Africa) described by the ancients which we know now as America. Lester spins an exhaustively researched yet page-turning story of how this mythical land was gradually given substance and shape by explorers and cartographers. That the mapmakers at the center of the story write "America" on their map is almost incidental to the story. The great story; which Lester tells so wonderfully well; is how incredibly important world maps effected the philosophy of the day. Lester makes the case that it was this map that caused Copernicus to form his theory of the Universe; which if true; is far more significant than simply naming America.For the average reader like me; this book will fill in a lot of the gaps in your learning about the age of exploration; and possibly give insight to the shortfalls and missteps we continue to repeat while exploring new domains without the proper "map"."The Fourth Part of the World" is truly not an arcane subject; and it's a wonderful read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A beautiful; beautiful book!By Wuxtra - Read All About ItThis volume is one of the reasons that a really fine printed book will never go out of style. Its cover; its design; its typography; its photographs; and its TEXT are simply superb. You will learn a lot about map-making; too; and you will appreciate what great navigators the old-time sailors were. Did you know that early map-makers always placed Jerusalem at the top of the map? Plenty of other Christian symbolism went into the early maps; too. European explorers traveled all the way across Asia to China; making maps as they went. Buy it; you won't be sorry.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good readBy VegasCactusStripAlong the same lines as Jared Diamond's Guns; Germs and Steel; in terms of being an "idea driven; non-fiction" book; as the WSJ review quote says on the front cover. As a lover of non-fiction myself; I found this book enlightening from cover to cover. It filled in a lot of blanks for me about the middle ages and the weird things; like headless persons; people used to believe in.Unfortunately; the book doesn't resolve the question of how Waldseemuller's seminal 1507 map showed the Pacific; and the South American Pacific coast; years before Balboa and Magellan actually (allegedly) saw it for the first time for Europeans (though ideas are proposed -- it's a question that could be ultimately unanswerable).For me; given that Waldseemuller's South American west coast is represented by two straight lines (a physical improbability) it seems likely that it was a good guess; and Lester's book does suggest such a reason as a possibility. In Waldseemuller's second map; made a few years later; he recanted on South America's Pacific coast; and drew the continent as ending against the edge of the map; much more like Ptolemy's original map; for reasons unknown.But what the Waldseemuller map really represents; and where the Guns; Germs and Steel book is lacking; is the tremendous intellectual achievement that writing; mass (ostensibly religious) conferences inspired by writing; and the printing press gave to the Europeans. Christopher Columbus was one of the first people to benefit from early; printed books. By the 1490's the pressure to cross the Atlantic from Europe to the west must have been palpable and inevitable; despite this bold and often mysterious character called Christopher Columbus; and despite Amerigo Vespucci.
