Ebook536 pages6 hours
Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this ebook
A comprehensive history of the Volunteer State’s formation, from the prehistoric era to the closing of the frontier in 1840.
This chronicle of the formation of Tennessee from indigenous settlements to the closing of the frontier in 1840 begins with an account of the prehistoric frontiers and a millennia-long habitation by Native Americans. The rest of the book deals with Tennessee’s historic period beginning with the incursion of Hernando de Soto’s Spanish army in 1540. John R. Finger follows two narratives of the creation and closing of the frontier. The first starts with the early interaction of Native Americans and Euro-Americans and ends when the latter effectively gained the upper hand. The last land cession by the Cherokees and the resulting movement of the tribal majority westward along the “Trail of Tears” was the final, decisive event of this story. The second describes the period of Euro-American development that lasts until the emergence of a market economy. Though from the very first Anglo-Americans participated in a worldwide fur and deerskin trade, and farmers and town dwellers were linked with markets in distant cities, during this period most farmers moved beyond subsistence production and became dependent on regional, national, or international markets.
Two major themes emerge from Tennessee Frontiers: first, that of opportunity the belief held by frontier people that North America offered unique opportunities for advancement; and second, that of tension between local autonomy and central authority, which was marked by the resistance of frontier people to outside controls, and between and among groups of whites and Indians. Distinctions of class and gender separated frontier elites from lesser whites, and the struggle for control divided the elites themselves. Similarly, native society was riddled by factional disputes over the proper course of action regarding relations with other tribes or with whites. Though the Indians lost in fundamental ways, they proved resilient, adopting a variety of strategies that delayed those losses and enabled them to retain, in modified form, their own identity.
Along the way, the author introduces the famous personalities of Tennessee’s frontier history: Attakullakulla, Nancy Ward, Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson, and John Ross, among others. They remind us that this is the story of real people who dealt with real problems and possibilities in often difficult circumstances.
“Finger . . . draws on his rich research into the Southern frontier to illuminate not only Tennessee’s three physiographic zones but also their spheres of interaction . . . .. The author skillfully summarizes and illustrates the complexity of Tennessee’s frontier history, addressing issues of leadership (Jackson versus all rivals), land speculation (ever dominant), and Indian affairs (where he is at his best). . . . Like the late Stanley Folmsbee, Finger knows the three Tennessees, linguistically, geographically, politically, socially, and economically; fortunately for the reader, he has constructed a well-balanced account of them all. Maps, charts, illustrations, and 48 pages of sources enhance the volume’s usefulness for collections on the American frontier. All levels and collections.” —J. H. O’Donnell III
This chronicle of the formation of Tennessee from indigenous settlements to the closing of the frontier in 1840 begins with an account of the prehistoric frontiers and a millennia-long habitation by Native Americans. The rest of the book deals with Tennessee’s historic period beginning with the incursion of Hernando de Soto’s Spanish army in 1540. John R. Finger follows two narratives of the creation and closing of the frontier. The first starts with the early interaction of Native Americans and Euro-Americans and ends when the latter effectively gained the upper hand. The last land cession by the Cherokees and the resulting movement of the tribal majority westward along the “Trail of Tears” was the final, decisive event of this story. The second describes the period of Euro-American development that lasts until the emergence of a market economy. Though from the very first Anglo-Americans participated in a worldwide fur and deerskin trade, and farmers and town dwellers were linked with markets in distant cities, during this period most farmers moved beyond subsistence production and became dependent on regional, national, or international markets.
Two major themes emerge from Tennessee Frontiers: first, that of opportunity the belief held by frontier people that North America offered unique opportunities for advancement; and second, that of tension between local autonomy and central authority, which was marked by the resistance of frontier people to outside controls, and between and among groups of whites and Indians. Distinctions of class and gender separated frontier elites from lesser whites, and the struggle for control divided the elites themselves. Similarly, native society was riddled by factional disputes over the proper course of action regarding relations with other tribes or with whites. Though the Indians lost in fundamental ways, they proved resilient, adopting a variety of strategies that delayed those losses and enabled them to retain, in modified form, their own identity.
Along the way, the author introduces the famous personalities of Tennessee’s frontier history: Attakullakulla, Nancy Ward, Daniel Boone, John Sevier, Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson, and John Ross, among others. They remind us that this is the story of real people who dealt with real problems and possibilities in often difficult circumstances.
“Finger . . . draws on his rich research into the Southern frontier to illuminate not only Tennessee’s three physiographic zones but also their spheres of interaction . . . .. The author skillfully summarizes and illustrates the complexity of Tennessee’s frontier history, addressing issues of leadership (Jackson versus all rivals), land speculation (ever dominant), and Indian affairs (where he is at his best). . . . Like the late Stanley Folmsbee, Finger knows the three Tennessees, linguistically, geographically, politically, socially, and economically; fortunately for the reader, he has constructed a well-balanced account of them all. Maps, charts, illustrations, and 48 pages of sources enhance the volume’s usefulness for collections on the American frontier. All levels and collections.” —J. H. O’Donnell III
Related to Tennessee Frontiers
Related ebooks
Laudonniere & Fort Caroline: History and Documents Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720–1830 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wisconsin Frontier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zamumo's Gifts: Indian-European Exchange in the Colonial Southeast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCaught in the Maelstrom: The Indian Nations in the Civil War, 1861-1865 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Early History of Tennessee: From Frontier to Statehood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Appalachian Frontier: America’s First Surge Westward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Footsteps of the Cherokees: A Guide to the Eastern Homelands of the Cherokee Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life of Francis Marion: The True Story of South Carolina's Swamp Fox Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJohn Sevier: Tennessee's First Hero Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHidden History of Tennessee Politics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrans-Appalachian Frontier, Third Edition: People, Societies, and Institutions, 1775-1850 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Watauga County, North Carolina, in the Civil War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Brief History of Fayetteville Arkansas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue Tales of the South at War: How Soldiers Fought and Families Lived, 1861-1865 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Voices From the Trail of Tears Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsArkansas Ozarks Legends & Lore Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carolina in Crisis: Cherokees, Colonists, and Slaves in the American Southeast, 1756-1763 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMonuments to Absence: Cherokee Removal and the Contest over Southern Memory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAfter the Trail of Tears: The Cherokees' Struggle for Sovereignty, 1839-1880 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley: The St. Leger Expedition of 1777 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The French & Indian War in North Carolina: The Spreading Flames of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe WPA Guide to Mississippi: The Magnolia State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cherokee Nation: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Grim Years: Settling South Carolina, 1670–1720 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, & Endurance in Early America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5General Stand Watie’s Confederate Indians Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Scattered Graves: The Civil War Campaigns of Confederate Brigadier General and Cherokee Chief Stand Watie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States History For You
Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Reset: And the War for the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer: An Edgar Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Awakening: Defeating the Globalists and Launching the Next Great Renaissance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Just Kids: A National Book Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A People's History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5U.S. History 101: Historic Events, Key People, Important Locations, and More! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln: A Nutty Story About Edwin Booth and Boston Corbett Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51776 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifties Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Library Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bowling Alone: Revised and Updated: The Collapse and Revival of American Community Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Tennessee Frontiers
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Tennessee Frontiers - John R. Finger
$d book_preview_excerpt.html }Yr$GU\c 3ɤDf lΟEG| d03GkLߤN2-$"355է~ӏеi/|7Eg?E~/O٧ۻ߳ݧeF-xgW
E]2مmUg7j=䷢sUV!MavCfxmvk䖟]]a=
UU6m9}ɍ\+C\}Ao[պli~NqQΫ"kـaD5mSb~Y^=JX!府sƭ!r2l앰ziEjr}wY+ˮEd_F! r]MiO]Eq
>Qfu,*ץdEe/~s nǛb-7('sef"XW'F^-9_%eUՋ/J~}Z?d?T
{&.C=̞Fmdʅ]K\9^fc>LXaȟ_աjw㈯%xz:[
[6纊3tXCvuEY=JHQ}X/_|~x
fw;.{uXzOzW_ݞhh:U?Rg^ȶ(vueDO%XmtOw٧_/NonEf>>OXXqvtt;<9L+_Eewͩ"ܳe
n~Qv|OWțߟϮ.% 1`zN~կ^;9^mvs%W^]I$XΣNo.d`wg,4tu|.=;ŋeHov"{wh_^@Ȉ0?=7yg'3o_.7y.qsO|ҝuDAg,'Wxkxr̳7Gwܜ~~>>)E{vrsuoOߏuao???~w,ԞA\
eyNĺN?
T6?]vvΫOon?"\]gggw o$ n_@[ҧϧw23wк
s6S1qz%F!d өo.?X HtoGzɯwU8%$pEH9M_Y۟=9|?vڮx{+NKZal D_B"^tMvc)]r<-W~.V3tWvmdnovr)j!+ 0>/\gF,9i7c庬V :hV#_`8mż+ȅy۵b 6vюm<-/\Y;Ec>8mה.Vyv3@\u{P]MQU^pdk+e;nx3GRݶ&_WR!؝v&dl9LM9O2OxFtsrY嵐p7ȷO6a\l.|/qQeZ]Xcr$bwawr)VP*rIoq7bc~vE{I'(PP^
J)u+1))s \m6evz2v̫qw}uO]_ʅҙ]$tڃPŗ
ѧ.]pMMucYy5
aYB;!X*^譵Ē@T6(;';0Hx81in#
ŨϚ0p̆/}l1Ja/e7TRž6Eѩt%Yەb9Q흓]r/HrEʴ3q![C;! u5qp i1_mťSOM CYʭ0Gٯe"<T`./wGG*˦SI-D]A̪֝y(LsXߋVgMgŠ38ٕ]WGr`A)*R**.j\3W5c=*X d݃c%YRF'ȵM.UiR(tE[mndb1n`}۱[4|cG
\`.U֗h<͋XlWb*84yM"JHJq;vruُ
\p )k