The Founders of America - Softcover

Jennings, Francis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393312321 ISBN 13: 9780393312324

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994

Synopsis

"We have lived upon this land from days beyond history's records." These are the words of a Pueblo man, words that describe the experience of Native Americans. They underlie the long work and philosophy of Francis Jennings―the scholar who has done the most to change our view of the relationship of Native Americans and the European settlers.

Jennings describes the experience of the first pioneers of the North American continent, who migrated from Siberia across what is now Beringia―nomadic people who traveled over the continents and islands of the Americas, establishing networks of trails and trade and adapting the land to human purposes. He tells of the rise of imperial city states in Mexico and Peru, and of the extension of cultures from Mexico into North America; he describes the multitude of cultures and societies created by the Native Americans, from simple kin-structured bands to immense and complex cities. Jennings shows that Europeans did not "discover" America; they invaded it and conquered its population. We grew up on history written from the point of view of the victor. Here now is the rest of the story, by the acknowledged dean of American Indian history. It is strong, eye-opening, and timely.

About this title

About the Author:

Francis Jennings is former director of the Newberry Library Center for the History of the American Indian.

From Library Journal:

This bold, fresh book sifts once more through the disparate, conflicting facts and fictions surrounding the complex histories and cultures of Indian peoples of North America. The author aptly calls it an essay, for here he explores his thoughts and feelings on pre-Columbian cultural history, the European "invasion," and the prospects of Indian self-determination in the years to come. A historian who is no stranger to controversy, Jennings attempts to avoid romanticizing, to treat Indians as bearers of a creative human cultural tradition, and to reject the concept of race in understanding Indian-European interaction. In this absorbing, insightful book, he may well have produced one of the most enduring and genuine contributions to the encounter literature of this quincentennial year. Highly recommended for lay readers and scholars alike. For other books related to the quincentennary, see "Rediscovering Columbus," LJ 8/91, p. 120-22.--Ed.
- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., Columbus
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0393312321
• ISBN 13: 9780393312324
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 458