Durham Connecticut


Book Description

In Durham, Connecticut, captured moments of time afford a precious glimpse into the lives of the early residents of this small, central Connecticut town. Situated between Hartford and New Haven, Durham was a natural stopping place for many early travelers, but with its rich farmland and plentiful sources of water power, it quickly became much more. Given Durham's proximity to Yale University, most of its residents were very well-educated farmers. This resulted in a colorful social history and a beautiful collection of architectural styles along the main roads. Grand celebrations, patriotic and agricultural, are shown here as well as a pictorial progression through more that 200 years of life in rural New England. In the captions that accompany each picture, those familiar with the town will recognize names of local streets and landmarks and meet the people for whom the places are named. Those who only know Durham through the Durham Fair will gain insight into the beginnings of this very popular event.







The Whites of Their Eyes


Book Description

Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” remains one of the enduring, and most stirring, quotations of the Revolutionary War, and it was very likely uttered at the Battle of Bunker Hill by General Israel Putnam. Despite this, and Putnam’s renown as a battlefield commander and his colorful military service far and wide, Putnam has never received his due from modern historians. In The Whites of Their Eyes, Michael E. Shay tells the exciting life of Israel Putnam. Born near Salem, Massachusetts, in 1718, Putnam relocated in 1740 to northeastern Connecticut, where he was a slaveowner and, according to folk legend, killed Connecticut’s last wolf, in a cave known as Israel Putnam Wolf Den, which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. During the French and Indian War, Putnam enlisted as a private and rose to the rank of colonel. He served with Robert Rogers, famous Ranger founder and leader, and a popular phrase of the time said, “Rogers always sent, but Putnam led his men to action.” In 1759, Putnam led an assault on French Fort Carillon (later Ticonderoga); in 1760, he marched against Montreal; in 1762, he survived a shipwreck and yellow fever during an expedition against Cuba; and in 1763, he was sent to defend Detroit during Pontiac’s rebellion. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Putnam—who had been radicalized by the Stamp Act—was among those immediately considered for high command. Named one of the Continental Army’s first four major generals, he helped plan and lead at the Battle of Bunker Hill, where he gave the order about “the whites of their eyes” and argued in favor of fortifying Breed’s Hill, in addition to Bunker Hill. Most of the battle would take place on Breed’s. During the battles for Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Long Island during the summer of 1776, Putnam proved himself a capable and courageous battlefield commander with a special eye for fortifications, but he sometimes faltered in tactical and strategic decision-making. In the fall of 1777, the British outmanned Putnam, resulting in the loss of several key forts in the Hudson Highlands near West Point. Putnam was exonerated by a court of inquiry, but—nearly sixty and opposed by powerful political elements from New York, including Alexander Hamilton—he spent many of the following months recruiting in Connecticut. In December 1779 he was returning to Washington’s Army to rejoin his division when he suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. The Whites of Their Eyes recounts the life and times of Israel Putnam, a larger-than-life general, a gregarious tavern keeper and farmer, who was a folk hero in Connecticut and the probable source of legendary words during the Revolutionary War—and whose exploits make him one of the most interesting officers in American military history.













Term Paper Resource Guide to American Indian History


Book Description

Major help for American Indian History term papers has arrived to enrich and stimulate students in challenging and enjoyable ways. Students from high school age to undergraduate will be able to get a jump start on assignments with the hundreds of term paper projects and research information offered here in an easy-to-use format. Users can quickly choose from the 100 important events, spanning from the first Indian contact with European explorers in 1535 to the Native American Languages Act of 1990. Coverage includes Indian wars and treaties, acts and Supreme Court decisions, to founding of Indian newspapers and activist groups, and key cultural events. Each event entry begins with a brief summary to pique interest and then offers original and thought-provoking term paper ideas in both standard and alternative formats that often incorporate the latest in electronic media, such as iPod and iMovie. The best in primary and secondary sources for further research are then annotated, followed by vetted, stable Web site suggestions and multimedia resources, usually films, for further viewing and listening. Librarians and faculty will want to use this as well. With this book, the research experience is transformed and elevated. Term Paper Resource Guide to American Indian History is a superb source to motivate and educate students who have a wide range of interests and talents. The provided topics typify and chronicle the long, turbulent history of United States and Indian interactions and the Indian experience.




American Decades Primary Sources


Book Description

Contains over two thousand primary sources on twentieth-century American history and culture, featuring seventy-five different types of sources, arranged chronologically in twelve categories, including the arts, education, government and politics, media, medicine and health, religion, and sports.







Prudence Crandall's Legacy


Book Description

The “compelling and lively” story of a pioneering abolitionist schoolteacher and her far-reaching influence on civil rights and American law (Richard S. Newman, author of Freedom’s Prophet). When Prudence Crandall, a Canterbury, Connecticut schoolteacher, accepted a black woman as a student, she unleashed a storm of controversy that catapulted her to national notoriety, and drew the attention of the most significant pro- and anti-slavery activists of the early nineteenth century. The Connecticut state legislature passed its infamous Black Law in an attempt to close down her school. Crandall was arrested and jailed—but her legal legacy had a lasting impact. Crandall v. State was the first full-throated civil rights case in U.S. history. The arguments by attorneys in Crandall played a role in two of the most fateful Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. In this book, author and lawyer Donald E. Williams Jr. marshals a wealth of detail concerning the life and work of Prudence Crandall, her unique role in the fight for civil rights, and her influence on legal arguments for equality in America that, in the words of Brown v. Board attorney Jack Greenberg, “serves to remind us once more about how close in time America is to the darkest days of our history.” “The book offers substantive and well-rounded portraits of abolitionists, colonizationists, and opponents of black equality―portraits that really dig beneath the surface to explain the individuals’ motivations, weaknesses, politics, and life paths.” ―The New England Quarterly “Taking readers from Connecticut schoolrooms to the highest court in the land, [Williams] gives us heroes and villains, triumph and tragedy, equity and injustice on the rough road to full freedom.” —Richard S. Newman, author of Freedom’s Prophet