Many Americans have long since forgotten that there ever was slavery along the Hudson River. Yet Sojourner Truth was born a slave near the Hudson River in Ulster County; New York; in the late 1700s. Called merely Isabella as a slave; once freed she adopted the name of Sojourner Truth and became a national figure in the struggle for the emancipation of both blacks and women in Civil War America. Despite the discrimination she suffered as both a black and a woman; Truth significantly shaped both her own life and the struggle for human rights in America. Through her fierce intelligence; her resourcefulness; and her eloquence; she became widely acknowledged as a remarkable figure during her life; and she has become one of the most heavily mythologized figures in American history. While some of the myths about Truth have served positive functions; they have also contributed to distortions about American history; specifically about the history of blacks and women. In this landmark work; the product of years of primary research; Pulizter-Prize winning biographer Carleton Mabee has unearthed the best available sources about this remarkable woman to reconstruct her life as directly as the most original and reliable available sources permit. Included here are new insights on why she never learned to read; on the authenticity of the famous quotations attributed to her (such as Ar'n't I a woman?); her relationship to President Lincoln; her role in the abolitionist movement; her crusade to move freed slaves from the South to the North; and her life as a singer; orator; feminist and woman of faith. This is an engaging; historically precise biography that reassesses the place of Sojourner Truth—slave; prophet; legend--in American history.Sojourner Truth is one of the most famous and most mythologized figures in American history. Pulitzer-Prize-winning biographer Carleton Mabee unearths heretofore-neglected sources and offers valuable new insights into the life of a woman who; against all odds; became a central figure in the struggle for the emancipation of slaves and women in Civil War America.
#2204481 in Books NYU Press 2012-05-07 2012-05-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .88 x 5.98l; 1.20 #File Name: 0814709427318 pages
Review
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A masterpiece on the subject.By Francois-Marie PatorniA masterpiece on the subject. Francois-Marie Patorni; scholar on the history of the French in New Mexico (newmexicofrenchhistory.com).2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. For the History Fan!By BrokeratureIf you're familiar with Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast; then you'll know that there are history fans; and there are Historians. This book will appeal to both; I think; but this review is for the history fans.Bonura overlays how scientific communities adopt new theories and replace old ones (a concept of Thomas Kuhn's) on top of how the American military adopted and replaced their tactics and doctrines. That is necessarily a simplification; but what is more important as a fan is how Bonura makes his point.The book takes things that seem normal; given our perspective; and shows just how revolutionary they were at the time. Imagine for a moment the difference between an army that had to be kept in the field through threats; brutality; or the promise of rape and plunder. Now contrast that army with one that is much more like what we have today; an essentially volunteer force; capable of independent thought and action. There is really no contest in the effectiveness of these two armies; but it's not something that is obvious on the surface. Bonura brings these details that sometimes feel lost to the surface.The battle illustrations are short but impressive; with maps for the detail-oriented (like me); and each is used to further the book's argument about how ideas change in a military context. Highly recommended for history fans; particularly Napoleon buffs.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An Excellent BookBy Last Marshal 1815Under the Shadow of Napoleon is a well-researched book using the West Point special collections; and various military sources. It's structure follows a theory to practice and practice to theory analysis. Bonura invokes Thomas Kuhn and Carl Von Clausewitz in his study. The book is an intellectual study of war and how French theories and practices of the French Revolution influenced military thought and doctrine from Winfield Scott to George C. Marshall. Bonura cites the Mexican-American war as a watershed conflict in American military thought. He used several major battles to demonstrate the mix of theory and practice of French thought. The often overlooked battle of Chapultepec highlighted how Scott's infusion of French military thought led to an American victory. Bonura also uses Dennis Hart Mahan; Alfred Thayer Mahan's father; and; the much maligned; Henry Halleck as examples of the dominance of French military thought prior to the civil war. Only the defeat of France in 1940; brought the hegemony of French thought over the military to an end. The book is well written and enjoyable to read. Bonura leads the reader using Kuhn's scientific revolution analysis in effectively making the point of development by accumulation for the transformation of American military thought.
