ebooks The Irish in New Jersey: Four Centuries of American Life; First Paperback Edition by Dermot Quinn in History

Description

LIKE MONTICELLO; Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest offers a significant archeological view of slave life at the turn of the nineteenth century in rural Virginia. In Hidden Lives; Barbara J. Heath re-creates the daily life of slaves at Jefferson's second home from 1773; the year he inherited the plantation; until 1812; when his reorganization of its landscape resulted in the destruction of a slave quarter. Drawing on census data; letters; memoranda; and other primary material; Heath describes the slave community's family ties; the agricultural cycle of work; and the sickness and health care they experienced. Her portrait is enhanced by fresh archaeological findings and a wealth of illustrations; including site and contemporary maps;../images of slaves at work and at home; artifacts; and interpretive drawings.By looking at the social meaning of buildings; yards; and artifacts; Heath presents new interpretations of how individuals used materials to create a sense of self and community; how they acquired belongings; and how they safeguarded them. For visitors to historic sites and students and scholars of archaeology; Heath's book offers a visual and textual exploration of complex relationships within the plantation and of the resulting choices; compromises; and limitations that Jefferson's slaves negotiated in the process of making a home within the confines of institutionalized slavery.