A Review

Bound Away:

Virginia And The Westward Movement

by

David Hackett Fischer and James C. Kelly

Review by R.E. Prindle

Texts:

Grant, Madison, Conquest Of A Continent, Liberty Bell Publications, 2004, reprint 1933 original.

Fischer, David Hackett and Kelly, James C., Bound Away:  Virginia And The Westward Movement, U. Virginia Press,  2000

     For the student of settlement patterns in the US David Hackett Fischer is indispensable.  Of the many books he's written his 1992 Albion's Seed  is absolutely necessary.  In that book he involves himself in the settlement patterns of all four strains from Great Britain.  In this volume he interests himself only in the colony of Virginia.  He considers immigration into Virginia, migration within Virginia and emigration from Virginia.

     As Madison Grant points out in his work Virginia was the mother of States.  Fischer points out the whys and hows.  His work might be considered and extension of Grant's.

     The founding of Virginia was much more different and tumultuous than our school books relate.  The Indians came close to expelling the Virginia colonists while the English had a very difficult time adapting to the climate.  The death rate was worse than on the slave ships.

     Black slavery was slow to develop in Virginia as the Aristocracy preferred White slaves, politely known as

 indentured servants.  It was only when the White supply dried up that the Aristocracy turned to Africans.  More than in the States of the Deep South slavery defeated the Commonwealth.

     Where Whites had a difficult time surviving in the rich soils of the Tidal area Africans prospered soon significantly outnumbering the Whites.

     The characteristic Virginia polity of an upper cast White Aristocracy, a small middle class, and the White and Black impoverished proletariats came into existence under Governor Berkeley in 1650 being perpetuated until the Civil War.

     Between the strong White caste system and slavery the White proletariat was driven to escape by emigration.  Virginia gradually became depopulated over the two hundred years before the Civil War.  At that time East and West Virginia were one.  A look at the map, of which the book has several, will show Virginia abutting both Kentucky and Ohio.  Thus the Western exodus to those two States formed the character of one and shaped the character of the other.  From Kentucky and Ohio the Virginians carried through southern Indiana and Illinois while populating several counties in Missouri that were known as Little Dixie.

     With the opening of Alabama and Mississippi many Virginians chose to take their slaves and migrate in that direction.

     The net effect of the migrations was that Virginia lost several representatives in Congress while losing intellectual vitality.  The issue of slavery caused groups like the Quakers to leave the State and it became correspondingly hazardous to one's health to criticize slavery.

     Of course after th Civil War the descendants of the Virginians continued West into California and Oregon.  Thus Virginian customs and styles found their way across country.

   After the War national immigration began in earnest with Southern and Eastern Europeans forming the bulk of it.  Grant laments the diminishing of the Nordic cultural influence while Fischer wisely makes no comment even ignoring the issue concerning himself only with the movement of Virginians.

     Even then there is an honesty in his work that makes one wonder how he survives in the anti-truth Liberal university system.  I suppose it's a matter of not what you say but how you say it.  Knowing what to leave in and what to leave out.

     At any rate for those interested in US settlement patterns I heartily recommend Madison Grant's Conquest Of A Continent and both David Hackett Fischer's Albions' Seed and Outward Bound.  If one then overlaps something like Carl Wittke's We Who Built America that gives some idea of how post-1871 immigration patterns shaped twentieth century America one has a pretty fair idea of how the US developed up to the 1965 revision of the Immigration Act.  After that revision a whole new pattern develops.

I can't say I'm enough of an NBA fan to speak intelligently about Mo, but in general the Cavs sorely needed to upgrade the offensive options not named Lebron.  Hopefully this move does that.

However, even with this new addition at the point I would still like to see Ben Wallace reemerge as a force on the inside.  Last year he tended to look a bit lethargic and frankly the "Fear the Fro" was more along the lines of "Call me Buckwheat".  Wallace needs to light a fire under his own butt and make himself a threat once more.   I think the Cav's will at the very least make it past the second round of the playoffs this year.

This pretty much sums up the awesomeness of the cavaliers. I've decided that I'm going to let no one talk me out of it. I'm auditioning and (hopefully) playing with the Cavaliers this summer. I only have 3 years left that I'm young enough to do this, and it's something I've always really wanted to do.

On a similar note: I hate teaching saxophone, and I'm starting to dislike playing it also. It is such a picky instrument that takes more practice than it is worth. And when you teach it, you have to use the phrase "it could be ___" a million times when a student is having a problem. The saxophone is by far the best woodwind instrument... but brass is where it's at.

Toby can't accept that the purpose of a lap is for anything other than accommodating him.

I was sitting there typing away with him next to me for a good 5 minutes trying to figure out how to fit in the lap space not taken up by my arms or the computer.  He finally wiggled his way on, all the while I'm laughing at his effort, and looked at me as if to say "Mo-om.. why aren't you making this easier for me?!"

Sadie kind of looks like a Fraggle.
Those two little bits of hair on top of her head always stick up... We'll smooth them down and they'll have popped up again two minutes later.

Les Cavaliers des Lumières

Tome 1

Le Règne de la Barbarie
VAS VITE VOIR LE JEU CONCOURS
JOUE ET GAGNE DE NOMBREUX LOTS

"Les cavaliers sont UN et combattent sans faillir."

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]]> http://thecavaliers.wordpress.com/?p=68 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:44:09 +0000 Mike Burton http://thecavaliers.wordpress.com/?p=68 Just as we here at the Cavaliers official Web Blog were packing to leave for our holiday for the week, the club sent us the results for the July Player of the Month awards.

Prolific striker Flavio won the prestigious award and was presented it by Director of Football at the Cavaliers, Ravi Bayara at the Club's training facility this morning.

Flavio racked up more assists than anyone in the team last month, aswell as netting quite a lot for himself. So well done Flavio and let's hope it continues next season.

And now, we really are going on holiday for a week! (See post below)