"Transformation of Virginia"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the historical and informative book, "The Transformation of Virginia" by Rhys Isaac. The paper notes that the author goes much deeper into the cultures and community life of Virginia than other books of American history. The paper comments that Isaac delves into the everyday events and duties of ordinary people, including slaves, that brings the history of this period in the building of America to life in a very educational and entertaining way. The paper concludes that the book, rich with illustrations and references, takes a closer look at some of the issues and pastimes, by slaves and white citizens, that make colonial history far more interesting than most other books.

From the Paper:

"As an example of how effectively he uses his sources, and where he gets them, on page 32 the author is pointing out that slaves didn't work in the fields and labor at other tasks seven days a week. They had Sunday off, as a rule, and they made the most of it. Whereas many history books make it seem like slaves were out there under the whip almost ever day of their lives, working fingers to the bone and being beaten if they refused any order. Sundays they commonly spend in fishing making Potatoes [digging up their small lots of ground allow'd by their Master], building and patching their Quarters or rather cabins" (taken from A Plantation tutor of the Old Dominion, Williamsburg VA, 1957). And also on page 32, the author takes a passage from a book that was published in 1784 by Englishman J.F.D. Smyth, A Tour in the United States of America."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Isaac, Rhys. The Transformation of Virginia 1740-1790. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1982.

More papers on "Transformation of Virginia":

• Book Review # 120244 : "Review of Virginia Woolf's "The Voyage Out"
• Essay # 27399 : "Flight and Rebellion"
• Essay # 60666 : "Inmate Educational Programs"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: