The Diary and Life of William Byrd II of Virginia, 1674-1744

The Diary and Life of William Byrd II of Virginia, 1674-1744 PDF

Author: Kenneth A. Lockridge

Publisher: Omohundro Institute and Unc Press

Published: 1987

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13:

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This eloquent and provocative essay describes the emergence of a Virginia gentleman. Sent to England for an education, William Byrd II soon learned to emulate the ideals of English gentility. In 1704 the thirty-year-old Byrd inherited his father's estates in Virginia, but he lived in England for much of the next twenty-five years pursuing his political ambitions. Thwarted in his efforts to obtain either the position to which he aspired or a wealthy bride, Byrd finally faced personal and financial ruin. Only then did he come to be both literally and figuratively at home in Virginia. The story is told through Kenneth Lockridge's compelling reading of a seemingly intractable source: Byrd's secret diaries. Drawing upon psychohistory, social psychology, cultural anthropology, and literary criticism, Lockridge relates the narrative of a single life, of a person struggling for realization within the context of a Virginia aristocracy itself striving for a mature conception of its role. He captures the essence of what it was to become a Virginia gentleman, and the terrible price leading Virginians paid for the eventual success of their class. In the process, Lockridge demonstrates how a close reading of literary texts can reveal large historical themes. He explores the politics of the eighteenth-century colonial and imperial world and reveals the exact moment at which a matured colonial gentry seized the initiative from its British masters -- fifty years before the Revolution.

The Commonplace Book of William Byrd II of Westover

The Commonplace Book of William Byrd II of Westover PDF

Author: Kevin Joel Berland

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2012-12-01

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0807839116

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William Byrd II (1674-1744) was an important figure in the history of colonial Virginia: a founder of Richmond, an active participant in Virginia politics, and the proprietor of one of the colony's greatest plantations. But Byrd is best known today for his diaries. Considered essential documents of private life in colonial America, they offer readers an unparalleled glimpse into the world of a Virginia gentleman. This book joins Byrd's Diary, Secret Diary, and other writings in securing his reputation as one of the most interesting men in colonial America. Edited and presented here for the first time, Byrd's commonplace book is a collection of moral wit and wisdom gleaned from reading and conversation. The nearly six hundred entries range in tone from hope to despair, trust to dissimulation, and reflect on issues as varied as science, religion, women, Alexander the Great, and the perils of love. A ten-part introduction presents an overview of Byrd's life and addresses such topics as his education and habits of reading and his endeavors to understand himself sexually, temperamentally, and religiously, as well as the history and cultural function of commonplacing. Extensive annotations discuss the sources, background, and significance of the entries.

Landon Carter's Uneasy Kingdom

Landon Carter's Uneasy Kingdom PDF

Author: Rhys Isaac

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2005-09-29

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 0195189086

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In this long-awaited work, Isaac mines the diary of a Revolutionary War-era Virginia planter--and many other sources--to reconstruct his interior world as it plunged into turmoil.

A Patriot's History of the United States

A Patriot's History of the United States PDF

Author: Larry Schweikart

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2004-12-29

Total Pages: 1350

ISBN-13: 1101217782

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For the past three decades, many history professors have allowed their biases to distort the way America’s past is taught. These intellectuals have searched for instances of racism, sexism, and bigotry in our history while downplaying the greatness of America’s patriots and the achievements of “dead white men.” As a result, more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than on George Washington; more about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II than about D-Day or Iwo Jima; more on the dangers we faced from Joseph McCarthy than those we faced from Josef Stalin. A Patriot’s History of the United States corrects those doctrinaire biases. In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history.

William Byrd II and His Lost History

William Byrd II and His Lost History PDF

Author: Margaret Beck Pritchard

Publisher: Colonial Williamsburg

Published: 1993

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780879350888

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An 18th century copperplate illustration, discovered in Oxford in 1929, was used to guide the restoration and reconstruction of several Williamsburg buildings. This information was appreciated but a discovery was made when more copperplates which came to light in 1986 were linked to the 1929 Oxford copperplate. This book pieces together the mystery of when, how, and why these copperplates were made. The authors link these illustrations to texts written (and to texts now lost) by one of the most prominent Virginians of this period, William Byrd II. Byrd (1674-1744) was a prominent plantation-owner, author, romantic scoundrel, and politician who is generally seen as the founder of the city of Richmond.