Book Review: The American Future: A History: Simon Schama: Books
Book Review: The American Future: A History: Simon Schama: Books
Schama Does It Again,
By Scott Bunnell (Roseville, CA USA) -
This review is from: The American Future: A History (Hardcover)
Writing a history of the future may seem provocative, or worse, downright nonsensical. What Schama has in fact done is to provide us with a strong indication of where America is likely to head in the future, based on the history of America’s responses to its’ challenges, now in our past.
The acknowledgement page in this edition is dated August 2008, shortly before the historic outcome of the presidential election in November was known. But the book opens in Des Moines, Iowa at 7:15 p.m. on January 3 with the caucus of Precinct 53 held at Theodore Roosevelt High. This was the exact time that Schama says he knew that “democracy came back from the dead.”
A Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University, Schama is a British expatriot who has lived and taught in the United States for over thirty years. As a result of his origin and experience, combined with his masterful writing skills and insight, he might very well be described as a modern-day de Tocqueville. And, similar to Democracy in America, it is my distinct impression that this work was written first and foremost for Europeans, who may not be so well informed in American history. Although, even for an American and an American history buff such as myself, I found plenty that was new, or that was elucidated in a way that was completely new, to me.
The book is a collaborative effort with BBC television, which aired a four hour series in the UK in Autumn of 2008. And, actually, the DVD version was released in the U. S. on January 20. That series is well worth watching (and the subject of a separate review), but the book offers so much more.
Punctuated as it is with contemporary scenes from 2008, such as the aforementioned caucus, an interview with General Ricardo Sanchez, or his rendezvous with the vaqueros in the Bahia Grande of South Texas, who, to a man, consider themselves to be Mexican, while being “fiercely loyal to the United States as well,” the vast majority of this volume is devoted to the time surrounding the Revolutionary War and the founding of the Republic, the Civil War and the near demise of the Republic, and the Civil Rights Era and the redefining of the Republic.
The book is divided into four parts. The first, “American War,” covers the very different views on statecraft represented by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, the founding of West Point, the origins of Arlington National Cemetary, and, in particular, the astonishing history of the “Meigs Dynasty,” which began with a trans-oceanic voyage from Dorset to Connecticut as early as 1636. The stories of “Return” Jonathan Meigs who fought with Benedict Arnold in Quebec, his son Jonathan, Jr. who became the first Postmaster General, Montgomery Meigs, Quartermaster General for the Union during the Civil War, and who also designed the dome on the nation’s capitol, all the way down to another General Montgomery who in 2006 advised Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld on the Iraq War, are reason enough to buy this book.
Part II, “American Fervour,” deals with the issue of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, citing many of its’ lesser known facts. If you are unfamiliar with either Jarena Lee or Fannie Lou Hamer, again, Schama’s book is worth the price for these vignettes alone.
Immigration and multiculturalism form the core of part III, “What is an American?” Mexican-Americans, the German-American problem, the seldom-discussed history of Chinese-American “coolies” (even in my hometown of Rocklin, CA–another thing I hadn’t known), Muslims in America and Jefferson’s Quran (yes, he had one); these chapters portray America as the best, most promising melting pot in world history.
Finally, “American Plenty,” which comprises part IV of Schama’s work, considers issues of migration, irrigation and alternate energies, his thesis being that America is constantly recreating itself whilst finding ingenious ways to meet its’ most pressing problems.
In a time of crippling economic woes, job loss and foreclosures, The American Future: A History may be just the antidote to pessimism we need, helping Americans, as well as the rest of the economies of the world which are dependent on America, to see that she is not likely to be falling anytime soon.
4 1/2 stars, only because I would have enjoyed more direct speculation on what Schama thinks the future actually holds. Not really the job of an historian though.
Highly recommended. Buy it, read it, learn, and feel better.
2008: Rewinding or Renewing American History?,
By D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) -
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)
Simon Schama is a gifted expatriate British historian now working at Columbia University in New York City. As an historian, he has a remarkable nose for political hypocrisy, an eagle’s eye for the unvarnished rough and tumble of power politics, and a talent for illuminating a moment or an era through the story of a single individual. Schama brings those considerable abilities to bear on the US Presidential Election of 2008 in “The American Future.”
Borrowing a bit from the earlier styles of Theodore White and David Halberstam, Schama’s thesis derives from the multiple crises that faced the American electorate in 2008. He finds that controversies over war, religion, race and immigration, and the relationship between resources and prosperity have deep roots in American politics. Thus, while Schama starts and finishes in the present, the bulk of the book is spent examining how the Unites States dealt with these questions in the past.
Schama’s journey takes the reader back to the beginnings of the Republic and political duels over its meaning between founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams. Schama explores the delicate balancing of religion and the state in the Constitution and in the life of the nation. That discussion nicely hooks into the problem of slavery and the continuing challenge of civil rights. The nation’s changing, messy, and often ugly attitudes toward immigration are chronicled. Finally, Schama examines whether America’s traditional if episodic material prosperity is still a reasonable expectation.
Schama is no respecter of historical tradition. His narrative is fresh and provocative. For example, progressive President Theodore Roosevelt is taken to task for his handling of the Philipine Insurrection. President Andrew Jackson, champion of the common man, is chided for the forced removal of the Cherokee nation to Oklahoma. Americans in general get a reprimand for the blatant power play that tore Texas from Mexico in the 1840’s.
“The American Future” will not please all readers. Schama telegraphs his preferences in the 2008 election. He seems just a little too comfortable using the incomplete, often inaccurate instant history of the main stream media in his interpretation. The connections between American history and the American present are not sharply drawn; at least a few readers may be left wondering. His finding, that the American democracy is uniquely capable of renewing itself, borders on political commonplace.
“The American Future” is likely to appeal to students of the American poltical process and to fans of Simon Schama’s particular perspective on popular history, and is therefore highly recommended to those audiences.
Personal Reflections on America,
By Collin S. Garbarino (Baton Rouge, LA USA) -
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What’s this?)
THE AMERICAN FUTURE: A HISTORY is Simon Schama’s very personal book about his adopted country. Schama moves back and forth between genres as he explores the themes of war, religion, immigration, and energy. Really the book is an exploration of the American Dream, in its many different manifestations. The book contains history, but it is equally a book of political commentary and personal meditation.
The book has a number of commendable features. Schama is a great writer, and his prose is, for the most part, clear and engaging. I found myself not wanting to put the book down on a number of occasions. Schama also has a very fertile mind. He connects the various strands of his narrative in inventive ways. Though these connections can sometimes be controversial, they are always interesting. Another benefit of the book is that since he covers so many different aspects of American life, chances are he’ll give you his take on your favorite soapbox.
Though the book is good, it could have been much better. Most of the historical narrative focuses on the Revolution and the Civil War, the founding and refounding of America. As I said, these chapters are very engaging and well written, but it seems as though Schama repackaged other scholars’ works, adding his own spin. This isn’t a terrible crime, but it does make this “history” a bit of a disappointment coming from a noted scholar.
Another disappointing aspect of this book is that Schama’s tone occasionally becomes inexplicably uncivil. The book is, on the whole, written in a winsome manner, yet every so often, Shama makes comments that are beneath him. Those comments regarding Dick Cheney (whether deserved or not) seemed particularly harsh and unfortunately cliche.
Very few people will agree with everything Schama writes in this book, but open-minded people of all political persuasions can profit from his meditations on the ideals of America.
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