If you rate a work of history like this strictly in terms of how informative is it, then this is more like a 3.5 or 4-star book, as it is informative, though in a repetitive and general kind of way, with a careful omission here and there. Jamestown's legacy is certainly the seeds of democracy in this country, but also the socio-economic inequality for both the Native American and African-American populations seen today.Īn aside, always when I read history I think of the determination & resilience of those that came before us as they survived under the harshest of circumstances. Thus a paradox ' Slavery in the midst of Freedom'.

He wanted an inclusive and diverse commonwealth. Sandys never envisioned the colony as one with slaves. It focuses on the year 1619 when Sir Edwin Sandys made reforms that enshrined the rule of law and a representative government- the twin pillars of democracy with the unfortunate arrival of Africans to Virginia's shores who were promptly bought & enslaved. That being said, the book follows the first expedition, to what is now Jamestown, in 1606 through about 1705 in the epilogue. I live not too far from Point Comfort, so the 400th anniversary last year really emphasized that momentous turning point in our nation's history and the harsh legacy of racism that exists today. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is perhaps my own expectation of a book titled 1619, was that there would be more on the first Africans that arrived in English America and their subsequent enslavement. I did set it aside for awhile but only because of other things in life cropping up, not because I was bored. This portentous year marked both the origin of the most important political development in American history, the rise of democracy, and the emergence of what would in time become one of the nation's greatest challenges: the corrosive legacy of racial inequality that has afflicted America since its beginning.Įxcellent read, very informative and flowed nicely. In 1619, historian James Horn sheds new light on the year that gave birth to the great paradox of our nation: slavery in the midst of freedom. A few weeks later, a battered privateer entered the Chesapeake Bay carrying the first African slaves to land on mainland English America. In the newly built church at Jamestown, the General Assembly-the first gathering of a representative governing body in America-came together. An extraordinary year in which American democracy and American slavery emerged hand in handĪlong the banks of the James River, Virginia, during an oppressively hot spell in the middle of summer 1619, two events occurred within a few weeks of each other that would profoundly shape the course of history.

James horn jamestown