America's hidden history Untold tales of the first pilgrims, fighting women and forgotten founders who shaped a nation

Davis (bestselling Don't Know Much About History and other books in his Don't Know Much... series) provides insight into American history by telling these "tales the textbooks left out." Christopher Columbus serves as a springboard into the "extraordinary odyssey'' of castaway Cabeza de Vaca, who was stranded during a 1527 expedition and spent eight years wandering from Florida to the Pacific. Davis asks whether the 22-year-old George Washington was a "war criminal" for having his Virginia militiamen launch a surprise attack on a French diplomatic party when England and France were at peace, setting in motion the French and Indian War. The half-dozen historical narratives also offer different perspectives on horrific Indian attacks on New Englanders during the 1690s; the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord; and "idealistic patriot" Benedict Arnold. While some of these episodes are no longer as "hidden" as Davis claims, he skillfully illuminates the role of human foibles in historic events. With these "fulcrum moments" ending in 1789, Davis has enough leverage for another successful series. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Best-selling author Davis (Don't Know Much About History) here treats the "human factor" in American history, an ingredient often ignored by survey texts that stress dates, battles, and court decisions. With coverage from the 1519 arrival of the Spanish in the New World to George Washington's 1789 presidential inauguration, its central themes are the acquisition of wealth and land, the retention of political power, and the overarching force of religious fanaticism and its resulting conflict. Davis examines how the backfiring of a British plot to assassinate rebel leaders John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Joseph Warren perhaps saved the American Revolution's core leadership; how the Revolution's most successful officer, Benedict Arnold, came to be this nation's most despised traitor; and how Shays's Rebellion in January 1787 set the scene for the constitutional convention that met in Philadelphia that spring. With his witty and irreverent view of this country's Colonial and revolutionary past, he ably shows that the success or failure of isolated events can have national and international consequences. May we expect a sequel to this delightful effort? Recommended for Colonial and American Revolution collections in all libraries.--John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Cleveland (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

America's Hidden History Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation Chapter One Isabella's Pigs 1469 Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon are married. 1492 The Reconquest ( la reconquista ) forces the last Moors out of Spain. As part of a revived Inquisition, all Jews are forced to convert or leave Spain. Christopher Columbus arrives in the Caribbean; he names Hispaniola (modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and founds the settlement of La Navidad. 1497 John Cabot, an Italian sailing for England, sights North America, probably around Newfoundland, and claims the territory for England. 1501 Amerigo Vespucci, sailing for Portugal, reaches the South American coast. Upon his return, he writes to his patron, Lorenzo de' Medici, that he has voyaged to a "new world." A mapmaker attaches Amerigo's name to the New World. 1509 Henry VIII is crowned king of England and marries Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella. 1516 King Ferdinand dies; Charles I, grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella, inherits the Spanish throne. 1528 Pánfilo de Narváez, accompanied by Cabeza de Vaca, leads a Spanish attempt to conquer Florida. 1531 King Henry VIII divorces Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn. In 1534, the Act of Supremacy declares the king to be the head of the Church of England, completing the break with Rome. 1536 John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is published, expanding the Protestant Reformation. 1539-1543 Hernando de Soto leads a Spanish army through the Southeast; de Soto dies on the banks of the Mississippi on May 21, 1542. 1553 Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, becomes queen of England. In 1554, she marries Philip II, the future king of Spain, but dies childless in 1558. 1556 Philip II becomes king of Spain. 1558 Queen Elizabeth I succeeds her half sister Queen Mary. 1564 French Huguenots establish Fort Caroline near the St. Johns River in Florida. 1565 St. Augustine, Florida, founded. Fort Caroline massacre. 1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated by a smaller British fleet. America's Hidden History Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation . Copyright © by Kenneth Davis. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation by Kenneth C. Davis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.